Linger
by RaspberryRose
Summary: A Jack & Martha Story. Martha wakes one day to find that her life is not what she remembers. What happened to her? And can she accept the major changes in her life? COMPLETE.
1. Chapter 1

**Welcome to my new Fan Fiction. Yes, it's yet another Jack and Martha story. They're my favourite couple to write about, so yeah.**

**Warning: There maybe some stuff in this fic that isn't suitable for younger readers. It may include sexual references, sexual situations, violence, adult themes and a bit of course language. So, you have been warned.**

**Summery – This story is set about a year and a half into the future. Let's say around…. mid 2008. Martha and Jack have been happily married for almost two years and they have a 7 month old daughter together.**

**Since this is my fic; I can change things in the past. Here's a few……**

**# Martha and Jack still went through their rough patch at the end of 2006, but they sorted it out.**

**# Jack never had his accident.**

**# Ash and Sam never existed. So J/M never had relationships with other people during their short time apart. Meaning Martha never cheated.**

**Hmm, I think that's all for now, so on with the story.**

**CHAPTER ONE**

Jack opened his eyes, but then squeezed them shut again. A bright ray of sunshine was peeking through the curtains and it was shining directly onto his face. He snatched up a pillow and held it down over his face; trying his hardest to block out the light.

He inhaled deeply. The pillow smelt like Martha. You'd think that after a month, the smell would have disappeared. It probably would have disappeared if Jack hadn't of kept spraying Martha's perfume over it every few days or so.

The smell kept him sane during most nights. When it was dark and he couldn't see; he'd inhale the scent and it would actually feel like she was there with him. What was the harm in pretending that she was there?

Jack sat up and let the pillow fall from his face. He looked across to the clock; noting that it was only seven in the morning. He flung his legs over the side of the bed and stood up. He grabbed a singlet that was hanging over the side of a chair, and pulled it on. He opened the door to his room and walked out; heading down the hall towards Alexandria's room.

He was just about to walk into her room when he heard a playful squeal coming from the lounge room. Jack smiled to himself and headed back in the other direction. He entered the lounge room and found his brother playing on the floor with Alexandria; his daughter.

She was seven months old now and was now starting to crawl around. Jack kept his mouth shut and watched the pair in amusement. Lucas would roll away and then Alexandria would quickly crawl towards him; only to have Lucas roll away from her again. For some reason unbeknownst to Jack, Alexandria found this highly amusing and would burst into a fit of baby giggles. But, that was babies for you. They laughed at the most silliest things. And in his daughter's case, the silliest thing was practically anything that Lucas did.

"I still don't understand what it is about you that she finds so funny," Jack finally made an appearance. "Because lets be honest; there's nothing amazingly great about you," he laughed at Lucas.

"You're just jealous because she doesn't laugh at the things you do," Lucas smirked at his older brother.

"She laughs at me plenty," Jack scoffed.

"Really? Show us then," Lucas asked,

"I don't feel like it," Jack shook his head as he sat down on the couch.

Lucas laughed. "Yeah, coz you know that I'm right and you're wrong. She won't laugh at you," he looked proud of himself.

"Whatever," Jack muttered.

"Touchy," Lucas mumbled under his breath.

Jack laughed. He liked having Lucas around. Lucas had been staying with Jack for the last three weeks; keeping him company. The house had been so quiet with just himself and Alexandria there, so it was great having Lucas around. And Alexandria seemed to love him.

"What time are you heading off to see Martha?" Lucas broke the silence with a question.

Jack shrugged. "As soon as I get ready, I guess. I need to bathe Alex first and she needs to have something to eat too," he answered.

Jack then dropped himself down onto the floor and pulled Alex into his arms. She reached a hand out and touched his face. He smiled at her. She was such an angel.

"Well if you want to go and have a shower, I'll get her breakfast ready," Lucas offered.

Jack nodded. "Alright. Thanks," he said as he gave Alex a quick kiss and then stood up.

He headed off towards the bathroom and before he even reached the door he could Alex's giggles echoing though the house again.

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Jack reached down and pulled Alex out of her high chair. "Let's go and see mummy," he cooed at her. He then looked over at Lucas who was now getting himself some breakfast. "Thanks for getting her ready," Jack said.

"No problem," Lucas waved it off. He then peered down at Alex. "Besides, we had fun making a big mess with your breakfast, didn't we?" he laughed at his niece.

Jack picked up his car keys and Alex's change bag and then headed towards the door. "Great, if that's the case then you can now have some fun by yourself cleaning up that big mess," he laughed as he headed outside.

"I'm not your maid," Lucas' voice was heard calling out.

Jack just kept laughing and walked towards his car.

"Is that boy giving you grief," another voice joked.

Jack looked up and spotted his father walking up the driveway. He smiled. "Na, we're just messing around," Jack answered as he strapped Alex into her baby seat.

Tony just nodded. "Are you going to see Martha?" he then asked.

"Yeah," Jack answered as he looked down to the ground.

Tony sighed. "You know, things are going to turn out great. Everything is going to be fine and things will go back to normal," he said to his son.

"I just want her back," Jack exclaimed.

"I know you do," Tony said. "We all want her back," he then added.

Jack smiled lightly and then headed around to the other side of the car. "I should probably go," he told his father.

"Yeah, no problem. I'll see you later then mate," Tony gave a small wave and then walked up to the house to pay Lucas a visit.

Jack sat in the driver's seat and slammed the door. He then rested his head on the steering wheel and let out a loud sigh. He missed her. He missed her like crazy. Things just didn't seem right without her around.

A gurgling sound coming from the back seat brought him back to attention. He sat up and looked around at his daughter.

"Let's go Joey," he smiled. "We don't want to keep your mother waiting, do we?"

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**Well, there it is; the first chapter.**

**Just to let you all know; I will be taking my time with this story, so there probably won't be updates everyday. Probably one every two or three days.**


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER TWO**

Jack gently pushed the door open and rolled the pram into the room. He let the door close quietly behind him. He moved over to the bed and looked down at his wife. He smiled. She looked so peaceful; so beautiful.

He leant down and brushed his lips across her mouth. "Hey baby," he said softly as he pulled away. "I'm back; again. Sorry, but I just can't seem to keep away," he laughed as he sat down next to her.

"Yes, I brought Alex with me. As if I wouldn't; she needs to see her mum everyday," Jack then said as he pulled the pram towards him. He unclipped the straps and pulled Alex out. He sat her up on the bed next to Martha. "She misses you. I miss you. Actually, everybody misses you," Jack smiled.

For the millionth time, Jack wished that Martha could talk back to him. For the millionth time he wished that he could look down at her and see her looking back at him with those beautiful blue eyes. He wanted her to be able to touch him and kiss him back. And most of all he wanted her to be able to hold their daughter in her arms. It had been a month since she had been able to do any of those things. And Jack didn't know when or if she'd ever be able to them again.

Jack remembered the day so clearly; the day his life had been ripped apart. It was a Monday afternoon and he had just gotten home from work. He just pulled his car into the driveway and before he had even reached the front door he had heard Alex's loud cry. At first Jack had just thought that Alex was hungry and was using her cry to get Martha's attention. How wrong he was.

He had opened the front door and walked into the house. He had called out to Martha but there was no answer. Alex's cries where getting louder so Jack turned around and headed for her room. Alex was in her cot, lying on her back; wailing her lungs. He had picked her up and cuddled her into his chest; soothing her and her cries had stopped immediately.

Jack had wondered why Martha wasn't attending to their daughter. It was so unlike Martha to just let her baby cry hysterically like that. He didn't know why but at that moment something didn't feel right. He had called out to her again, but there was still no answer. He had laid Alex back into her cot and headed out to the lounge room. What he saw next had stopped him in his tracks; it had made his blood run cold. Martha was lying on the ground; unconscious. He'd tried to get her to wake up but to no avail.

And now, a month later; she still hadn't woken up. And Jack still didn't know how this had happened. The only injury that she had gotten was a deep gash to the fore-head and the doctors had predicted that she had hit her head on something as she fell to the ground. Other than that; everything was a complete mystery.

Jack let out a loud sigh. The last month had been so tough for him. He was trying his hardest to stay strong. He needed to be strong; for Alex's sake. The first week without Martha had been the worst. He had felt as though his life was over; because without Martha he felt as though he had nothing in life to live for. He felt empty; it was though he was just the shell of the person he once used to be. He felt nothing.

It had gotten to the point where his father and Beth had to take Alex away from him. Jack couldn't even look after himself; let alone a seven month old baby. But after a stern talking to from Tony; Jack finally started to see things differently. He needed to stay strong for his daughter. After a week; Tony and Beth had decided to let him take Alex back home again. But he'd also gained Lucas.

Jack was thankful that he had Lucas around to help him. Lucas had become his rock. He honestly didn't think he would have been able to do it without his brother's help.

A gurgling sound emitting from his daughters mouth finally broke Jack from his thoughts. He glanced at Alex and smiled. She was the most beautiful little thing he had ever laid eyes on. The very first time he saw her; he'd fallen in love. She looked just like Martha. She had the same pair of gorgeous eyes and the same shade of hair.

Jack felt his eyes welling up with tears. It hurt so much to know that Martha wasn't able to see their daughter growing. If she didn't wake up soon; she'd miss out.

Jack picked up Martha's hand and held it up to his cheek. Her fingers felt so warm against his skin. "You have to wake up Martha. I need you to come back to me," he said as he brushed his lips gently across her knuckles.

Jack and Alex sat with Martha for about an hour before Alf arrived for a visit. Jack decided to take Alex home; she needed a nap and it was nearing lunch time. Alf had a quick cuddle with Alex before Jack eventually left; leaving Alf to spend some time alone with his granddaughter.

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**ONE HOUR LATER**

Her eyes flickered open. She was surrounded by white. It hurt her eyes at first and everything seemed blurry. From the corner of her eye she could see one lonely figure standing by a window; looking out. This person was oblivious to the fact that she was now awake. A few moments later, her eyes had finally adjusted to the brightness of the room. She recognized the figure as her grandfather.

"Grandad," she called out; her voice scratchy.

She watched as her grandfather spun on his heels and looked at her. Alf stood there in shock; hardly believing his eyes. "Martha," he managed to speak.

"Hey," Martha sighed.

Alf was across the room in a flash; grasping hold of her hand. "Oh my god. I never thought you would wake up. I thought we'd lost you," he cried.

Martha smiled. She could see the tears gathering in her grandfathers eyes. "Are you crying?" she teased him.

"Tears of happiness," Alf exclaimed.

"It's great to know that I'm loved," Martha laughed. She then stopped and started to frown. "What happened?" she asked.

"That doesn't matter right now," Alf smiled. "You're awake and that's what is most important. I should probably get a Doctor," he then said.

Alf started to rush towards the door. "I'm going to have to call Jack. He's going to be so thrilled," he said excitedly.

"Wait," Martha called out; stopping him. She was confused about something.

"What is it love?" Alf walked back to the bed and looked down at her.

"Jack?" Martha said; clearly confused. "Who's Jack?"

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	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER THREE**

"What did you just say?" Alf moved back towards Martha's bed.

Martha coughed; clearing her itchy throat. "You said you had to call Jack. Who is he? I don't think I know anybody named Jack," she said to her grandfather.

Alf looked away; his face starting to pale. "You don't know who Jack is?" he asked in whispered voice.

"No, am I supposed too?" Martha shook her head.

Alf was lost for words. He didn't know what he was supposed to say. His granddaughter had just told him that she had no idea who Jack was. How was he supposed to tell her that he was infact her husband? More importantly, how was he supposed to tell her that it looked as though she had lost some of her memory?

"I should go and get the Doc. Just relax and stay put. I'll be back soon," Alf tried to smile. He then leant down and kissed her fore-head. "I'm just glad you're okay," he said and then moved towards the door again.

Alf quietly shut the door behind him and then leant up against the wall; letting out a loud sigh. He couldn't believe that this was happening. He didn't want to believe it. Martha was awake and things were supposed to go back to the way they were before. But now, it seemed as though things had just gotten worse. It wasn't fair.

Alf pushed himself away from the wall and headed down the hallway; looking for a Doctor. He spotted Rachel walking from a room and called out to her.

"Hi Alf," Rachel smiled as she approached him.

"Doc, Martha's awake," Alf told her.

Rachel's face lit up with a huge grin. "Oh my god. When did this happen?" she said happily as she pushed passed him and headed towards Martha's room.

"About five minutes ago," Alf said.

"Has anybody checked her out yet? Oh gosh, I can't wait to see her," Rachel ranted.

Alf shook his head. "Nobody has seen her yet," he started. Rachel had just reached the door to Martha's room when Alf grabbed onto her arm. "Wait," he said to her.

Rachel turned to look at him. "Why? What's wrong?" she asked.

Alf let out a loud sigh. "We have a huge problem," he exclaimed.

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Martha lay patiently on her hospital bed; waiting for her grandfather to come back with a doctor. While she waited, she tried to remember what it was that caused her to end up in hospital. But there was nothing. Everything seemed so jumbled. She had no idea what had happened.

She also thought about her grandfather. Something was up with him. He had been acting strange. She felt as though he was keeping something from her. She didn't like it one bit. She wondered if it had anything to do with this Jack person he had mentioned. She had found it weird that her grandfather had wanted to ring a person that she didn't even know. She had thought that the first person he would have called would be Ric, or maybe even Tasha and Robbie; not some stranger. Maybe this Jack guy had something to do with her accident and had wanted to know if she was okay. She'd just have to ask her grandfather about it again. Hopefully this time he'd tell her instead of running off.

Martha was getting sick of lying down so she decided to push herself up. She was just about in a sitting position when she heard the door open.

"About time," Martha laughed. "For a while there I didn't think you were going to come back," she said as she looked towards the door.

"Sorry love," Alf exclaimed. A few moments later Martha noticed a young curly haired Doctor walk into the room behind her grandfather. "Martha, this is Dr Armstrong," Alf introduced.

"Hi," Martha smiled.

"Hello Martha. It's good to see you awake," Rachel smiled back at her.

"How long have I been out?" Martha asked.

Martha noticed her grandfather and the Doctor giving each other a look. Martha coughed; gaining their attention. "How long?" she asked again.

"Um, how about I check you over first and then I'll let you and your grandfather talk," Rachel suggested.

"Kay," Martha shrugged. She knew something was going on. She wasn't stupid. But she'd let the lady do her job and then she'd ask questions about what had happened to her. "So, Doctor Armstrong, are you new here? I don't think I've seen you around here before," she then asked.

"Oh, I've been around for a while. You probably just haven't seen me before. Oh and you can call me Rachel; everybody else does," Rachel replied.

Still, Martha noticed the Doctor and her grandfather giving each other these weird glances. Martha couldn't help but feel uncomfortable. The next twenty minutes were spent with Rachel checking over Martha and making sure that she was fine.

"Well everything seems to be fine. We still want you to stay here for a few days and keep you under observation, but other than that; you're completely healthy," Rachel explained to her.

"That's great," Martha nodded. "Look, I don't mean to be rude or anything, but I thought that Flynn probably would have been my Doctor. He has been the other couple of times I've been here," she said.

Rachel and Alf both went silent; glancing at each other quickly. "Flynn isn't here at the moment love," Alf then said quickly.

Martha had had enough. They were keeping something from her and she wanted to know what it was. "What's going on? You keep giving each other these strange looks. It's sending off weird vibes and I don't like it. Is there something you're not telling me?" she started to say. "Has it got something to do with why I'm here? And since we're on the subject, I'd really appreciate it if someone actually told me what happened, because I can't seem to remember," she continued to rant.

"Ah, how about I leave you with your grandfather and I'll go and make a couple of calls. Let everyone know that you're awake," Rachel tried to smile and then quickly exited the room.

"She was in a bit of a hurry, wasn't she?" Martha laughed a little.

"She's just a bit upset, that's all," Alf told Martha.

"Oh, what about?" Martha asked.

"About you," Alf answered honestly.

Martha was confused. Why would the Doctor be upset about her? "I don't even know her, so why would she be upset about me?" she exclaimed.

Alf let out a sigh and pulled a chair over to the bed; sitting down. "There's something I need to tell you," he said.

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Jack was sitting in the lounge room; watching TV with his father and Lucas. Alex was sleeping peacefully in his arms. She'd been a bit restless when he'd first put her down for a nap and the only way she would go to sleep, was if she was in his arms.

He knew it was because Martha wasn't around. Martha was nearly always the one who put Alex down for her sleep and now Martha wasn't around to do that. Alex was still only a baby, but there was no doubt that she had noticed that Martha was no longer around. Alex still really needed Martha, and Jack knew that she could feel that something was wrong.

Suddenly the sound of the house phone rang loudly through the room. "I'll get it," Lucas jumped up quickly and answered the phone.

Lucas was speaking quietly, so Jack couldn't hear what he was saying, but he knew that call was a good call. Lucas's face had broken out into a grin. "We'll be there straight away," Lucas then said loudly. He slammed the phone down and ran back over to them.

"What's going on?" Tony laughed at his son's excitement.

"That was Rachel; Martha's awake," Lucas exclaimed.

Jack's breath caught in his throat. Did he just hear right? Martha was awake. He stood up quickly. "She's awake," he said softly.

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"What is it grandad?" Martha questioned; waiting for Alf to start talking.

He didn't say anything; he didn't know how to start.

"Something's wrong, isn't it?" Martha said softly. She then started to get upset. "Is there something wrong with me? Oh my god! Somebody's dead. I know it. Did I kill someone?" she was starting to get paranoid.

"No, no, you didn't hurt anyone," Alf tried to calm Martha.

"Well, will you please tell me what's wrong?" Martha cried.

Alf let out a sigh before speaking. "What is the last thing you remember?" he asked her.

Martha shrugged. "I'm not really sure. Everything just seems really blurred at the moment," she started. Martha lifted her right hand to her fore-head and rubbed; thinking hard before she began to talk again. "I think there was a party at Rob and Tasha's house. Yeah, that's right; it was a house warming party. They'd just moved into Josie's old flat," she explained.

Alf lowered his head into his hands. Martha could tell that he was upset. She went to ask if he was okay but he spoke up before she got the chance. "Do you remember anything else?" Alf asked.

"Um, Cassie and Ric were being annoying with their stupid little arguments and Rob and Tasha were trying to set me up with some of their friends. I got angry at them and kinda yelled," Martha began. "The cops turned up after that. One of them was a real jerk," she exclaimed.

Alf jerked his head up at the mention of the cops. "Do you remember what the cop's name was? Do you remember what he looked like?" he fired off questions.

"I don't know what his name was and I don't particularly care," Martha scoffed. "Him and his stupid smirk," she muttered under her breath.

Alf chuckled but then turned serious again. "Do you remember anything else?" he wanted to know.

Martha shook her head. "Everything is blurry after that. I can't remember," she replied. "Wait; did something happen at the party? Is that why I'm here?" she asked.

"No," Alf answered. "Love, what I'm about to tell you may upset you a bit. I hate to be the one to tell you, but it's probably best that you hear it from me," he said.

"You're scaring me grandad," Martha exclaimed. She didn't like this. She was scared. He was about to tell her something bad; she could feel it.

"You've been in a coma for the last month," Alf stated.

Martha looked at him in shock. "Oh my god," she said in a whispered voice. "How?" she asked.

"We're not sure how it happened. You were found unconscious on the floor and you'd hit your head; that's all we know," Alf explained to her.

"Wow," Martha laughed a little. "No wonder my memory is a bit blurry," she joked.

"That's not the worst of it," Alf pointed out.

"How could it get any worse?" Martha laughed.

"This isn't a joke Martha," Alf groaned.

Martha couldn't possibly think that the situation could get any worse. She'd been in a coma for goodness sake. Could it really get worse? Of course the answer was yes; she could have died. "Keep going then. Tell me," she urged her grandfather on.

"You have a case of Amnesia," Alf told her.

"Excuse me," Martha scoffed. Was her grandfather crazy "Are you high?" she tried to laugh.

"I'm serious love," Alf sighed. Martha noticed that his eyes were welling up with tears, and this upset her. She hardly ever saw him this upset. She knew that he was telling the truth.

"That housewarming party that you just mentioned; that was held almost three years ago Martha," Alf broke it to her in a gentle voice. "You've lost almost three years worth of memories," he said softly.

Martha swallowed the large lump that had formed in her throat. "No, she shook her head. "You're just tricking me," she didn't want to believe it.

"I'm sorry Martha," Alf started to cry.

Martha looked away from him. She didn't want to believe it, but she knew that she had to. Her life had been taken away from her.

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	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER FOUR**

Martha lifted her right hand to her face; using her fingers to brush away the tears that streamed down her face. Her grandfather had just spent the last ten minutes filling her in on all that had occurred over the last three years, and none of it seemed remotely familiar at all. Her mind was a total blank.

She was still having trouble accepting that she had lost almost three years of her life. It didn't seem real to her. She felt as though it was all a dream. Maybe it was just a dream, and at any moment she would wake up and everything would be fine again.

"I don't know if I can believe all of this. It doesn't seem real," Martha sniffed.

"It's going to take a while to accept, but just know that I will always be there for you," Alf started. "And who knows; this may be temporary. Your memory could come back one day. And it could be soon," he said.

Martha scoffed. "Yeah, and it could take ages. Or even worse; I'll never get it back," she spat out.

"We just have to stay strong and stay positive. You have so many people around you that will want to be there for you, so we will get through this," Alf tried to reassure her.

"What people, grandad?" Martha laughed sarcastically. "Tasha and Rob, Hayley and Scott are living in another country. Kim's in the city. They were my friends and they're not even around anymore. I don't have anybody else," she pointed out.

Alf let out a loud sigh. "You have Sally, Leah, Cass, Mattie and Rachel," he said to her.

"Rachel? The Doctor? Grandad, I don't remember her," Martha snapped.

"Well, you'll just have to get to know her again, won't you?" Alf sighed again.

"I suppose," Martha sniffed.

Alf and Martha sat in silence for a few more moments. She was still trying to take it all in.

"I can't believe Flynn is gone," Martha suddenly spoke again. When her grandfather had told her that Flynn had died; she was shocked. Flynn was such a great man, and she would always be grateful to him. He had practically saved her life after the car accident that had claimed Chloe's life. She would never forget him.

Alf nodded. "It took us all a long time to get over it. But we stuck together and we managed," he said. "But Sally's happy again now. Brad is a great bloke; you'll like him," Alf told her.

Martha just nodded. "I guess there are few new people that I'm going to have to meet, huh?" she tried to laugh.

"You'll be fine," Alf exclaimed.

Martha smiled. She was upset, but she knew that she should be thankful that she was still alive. Martha suddenly snapped her gaze back up Alf. Jack; she was still curious to know who this Jack person was. He still hadn't told her.

"So, who's this Jack bloke you keep talking about?" she asked.

Alf's eyes widened. He had told her everything. Well, everything except for the fact that she had a husband and child. Perhaps now would be a good time to tell her.

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Jack sprinted into the hospital. Lucas, Tony and Beth, who was holding Alex, were right behind him. Jack spotted Rachel sitting on a chair. He noticed that she looked a little upset.

"Rachel," Jack called out.

Rachel sat up; quickly drying her eyes. "Hey guys," she tried to smile.

"I want to see her," Jack started to get excited. "I need to see her. I need to see with my own eyes that she is awake," he said to Rachel.

Jack's insides were squirming around. He was so anxious to see Martha. He just wanted to touch her and kiss her. He wanted to hold her in his arms and never let her go. He swore to himself that he would never let her go again. Ever.

Jack had now noticed that Rachel didn't seem to be as excited as him or the others. Infact, she had a deep frown on her face.

"What's wrong love?" Tony asked; putting a hand on Rachel's shoulder.

Rachel let out a small sob and looked away. Jack felt his stomach fall. Something was wrong with Martha. Why else would Rachel be acting like this?

"Is something wrong with Martha?" he asked softly; dreading the answer. "Please tell me that she's okay," Jack cried.

Rachel looked up into Jack's face. "Martha is okay physically, but there is a bit of a problem," she started.

"What sort of problem?" Jack's voice grew louder.

Rachel sighed. "It seems Martha has lost some of her memory," she exclaimed.

Jack was silent for a few moments; as was Beth, Tony and Lucas. They didn't quite understand.

"What?" Jack looked at Rachel in disbelief.

"She's lost about three years worth of memories Jack," Rachel began. "She doesn't remember me. And I'm sorry to say this, but she doesn't remember you. And she doesn't remember Alex," she said slowly; a lump forming in her throat.

Everybody went silent. Jack took a step back and shook his head. "No," he exclaimed. "This is some sort of joke, right?" he said as he moved away from the group.

Jack didn't want to believe that Martha didn't remember him or their daughter. Rachel had to be wrong. Martha knew who he was. She knew who Alex was. She just had too.

"I'm sorry Jack," Rachel said. "I'm so sorry".

Jack fell down into a chair. Tony was immediately sitting by his side; rubbing his back.

"She doesn't remember me dad. My own wife doesn't even know who I am," he started to cry.

His body wracked with sobs as Tony pulled him in for a tight hug. "Everything is going to be fine son. It's going to be fine," Tony exclaimed.

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Martha looked at her grandad; waiting for him to speak.

"There is something else I need to tell you love," Alf started. "Something very important; something you may never have comprehended," he said.

"Grandad, I've lost my memory. I could probably take anything you tell me now," Martha laughed. "So, just hit me with it," she urged.

Alf picked up Martha's left hand and held it in his own. "You haven't noticed them yet, have you?" he asked.

"Noticed what?" Martha was confused. Her grandfather seemed to be talking in riddles.

"The rings on your wedding finger," Alf answered.

What did he just say? Martha thought to herself. He did not just say what she thought he said. There was no way. Martha looked into Alf's eyes. Was he lying? She slowly cast her eyes down to her hand that was clasped gently in Alf's; and the answer was practically thrown back in her face.

There, wrapped neatly around her wedding finger were two rings. An engagement ring and a wedding ring to be exact. She quickly snatched her hand away from Alf's and inspected it more closely.

"No way," she exclaimed as she looked back up at her grandfather. "There is no way that I'm married. There is absolutely no way that I'm married. I'm only twenty one for god's sakes," she ranted.

She wasn't married. She couldn't possibly be married. "No way," she exclaimed again as she kept looking at the rings; twirling them around her finger.

"You've been married for almost two years Martha, and the two of you are very much in love," Alf explained. "His name is Jack," he then said.

Jack! Martha looked up. "So this Jack guy you keep talking about is my husband?" Martha cried. "Oh my god," she suddenly felt a little light headed.

"Yes," Alf nodded. "There is one more thing. There's Alex," he said.

"Who's Alex?" Martha asked; clearly not interested. There was no way her grandfather could surprise her anymore. Nothing could beat the fact that she had a husband.

"She's your daughter," Alf replied.

Martha's breath hitched in her throat.

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	5. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER FIVE**

Martha had been sitting in silence for the last five minutes. So many thoughts were going through her head. She honestly didn't know what to think or feel anymore. She'd just found out that she had a husband and also baby daughter and she didn't know if she was ready to accept it. There was such a large part of her that wished it would all just go away. She wasn't ready for all this.

She knew it was harsh, but she couldn't help the way she felt. And she hoped that her family didn't just expect her to pick up where she left off. She couldn't just go home to a ready made family. It wouldn't feel right to her. She didn't know them; they were strangers to her.

"Martha," Alf's voice interrupted her thoughts.

Martha looked up quickly. "What?" she sighed.

"Are you okay?" Alf asked her.

Martha shrugged, but then started to laugh. "I don't know who I am anymore, of course I'm not okay," she answered. "I don't think I can handle this. I'm not ready for marriage or a family. I can't do it," she said truthfully.

Alf let out a loud sigh. "Nobody is going to expect you to just jump back in there and pretend that it's all okay. You've just received a large shock, and you're going to need time to adjust. All I'm asking is that you try; for your daughter's sake," he pointed.

Martha laughed again. "My daughter? Oh, you mean the one that I don't know," she said sarcastically.

"She's an eight month old baby Martha, this is not her fault. Do not just push her to the side. She needs her mother. She needs you," Alf snapped at her.

Martha looked away from him. "I never said I was going to push her away," she said softly. "I just need time to get my head around this. I don't know what to do," she started to cry.

"It's okay, just remember that I'm here for you whenever you need me," Alf comforted her.

"I'd like to have some time alone, if you don't mind," Martha then exclaimed.

"Of course," Alf nodded. He got up and headed for the door. Before opening it he turned back to face Martha. "Um, I'm sure Jack's probably here by now, and he's going to want to see you and he's going to want to bring Alex in aswell. But I'll tell him that you need bit of time to yourself, okay" he said.

"Thanks, grandad," Martha nodded at him. "Give me half an hour to gather my thoughts, and then maybe I'll have enough guts to face them," she explained.

Alf smiled and then walked out. Martha immediately let her face drop into her hands. She cried.

Why on earth had this happened to her? It wasn't fair. She had a husband who was apparently madly in love with her and she had child with him, and here she was thinking that she didn't want anything to do with them. She didn't know if she could be a part of their lives.

She didn't think she was ready for that sort commitment.

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Jack was slumped on a chair in the waiting room; cradling a sleeping Alex in his arms. He looked down at her and stroked her cheek. Jack then leant down and placed a soft kiss on her fore-head.

"You'll get to see mummy soon," He whispered to the sleeping child.

He looked across the room and found his dad, Beth and Lucas watching him; all giving him apologetic smiles. They felt sorry for him. His wife didn't remember him or their daughter and they felt bad about it. But Jack didn't want their pity. He didn't want anything from them.

Jack turned his head to the side and spotted Alf walking towards him. "Alf," he jumped up; trying not wake Alex. "How is she?" he asked as Tony and the others stepped up beside him.

"As good as can be expected, I guess," Alf sighed.

"Does she know about Jack and Alex yet?" Tony wanted to know.

Alf nodded. "Yeah, she knows," he answered.

Jack lowered his eyes to the floor. "How did she take it?" he asked; dreading the answer would be bad.

Alf shrugged a little. "She's in shock I think. She's not handling it very well," he replied with honesty. There was no use in lying and letting Jack get his hopes up.

"Can I see her?" Jack was desperate. He wanted to see her so bad. He didn't care if she didn't recognize him; he just wanted to see her.

"She wants a bit of time to herself for a while. Martha just needs to get her head around things. She said to give her half an hour and then she might be ready to see you and Alex," Alf explained.

Jack nodded. "I can't believe this is happening," he muttered. He then let out a loud sigh. "I guess I should just be happy that she's awake and will be coming home in a few days," he said.

Alf coughed. "Yeah, about that," he trailed off. "I don't think Martha will be going back to your place when she gets out of here. She won't be ready for that Jack. It's going to be a strange place for her, and I think she would be better off being in a place more familiar," he told Jack.

Jack glared at Alf. "She's my wife and I want her home with me and Alex. It's where she belongs," he started to get angry. His raise voice had gotten so loud that he woke up Alex and she started to cry.

Beth walked over and took her out of his arms. "Stop yelling. You're scaring her," she snapped at Jack as she tried to calm Alex.

Jack ignored Beth and continued to glare at Alf. He soon felt a hand on his shoulder. It was his father. "Jack, you need to calm down," Tony told him. "Alf is right mate. I don't think Martha will be ready to go home with you. You need to give her time," he said.

"How is she supposed to remember me, if she isn't around me? If we spend time together, she may start to remember things. That's why she should come home with me and Alex," Jack growled.

Tony sighed. "I really don't think it's your decision Jack. In the end, Martha will do what's best for her," he said.

"And what about what is best for Alex? She needs her mother. I can't look after her by myself," Jack cried.

"You're not expected to look after her by yourself," Tony pointed out. "You still have us; you're not alone," he added.

"Yeah," Lucas agreed. "I'll stay at the pad with you as long as you need me to," he offered.

Jack just nodded. He didn't want to argue with them anymore. He was tired, and he just wanted to see Martha. He turned around and walked back towards his chair.

"Jack, there is something you need to know," Alf spoke as he walked towards Jack.

"What is it?" Jack asked but didn't look up at him.

"The last thing Martha remembers is Tasha and Robbie's house warming party," Alf began.

Jack's eyes shot up and met with Alf's. "That's the day I arrived in the bay," he pointed out.

"Yeah," Alf nodded.

"So, what are you saying?" Jack was curious as to where this was heading.

"I think Martha remembers you from that night. She said something about the cops turning up and telling them to turn the music off, and then she mentioned a cop who she claimed was a complete jerk," Alf explained.

"That would be you Jack," Lucas laughed as he pointed at him.

"She remembers me," Jack said softly.

"It certainly looks that way mate," Alf nodded.

Perhaps this wouldn't be as bad as he thought. At least she remembers him from that night, so he wasn't going to be a complete stranger to her. His hopes suddenly perked up.

"Don't go getting your hopes up mate," Tony interrupted his thoughts. Jack looked up and found his father smiling at him.

"Why's that?" Jack questioned.

"If Martha does remember you from that night, then that might not be a good thing. She thinks you were a jerk," Tony pointed out.

"Oh," Jack exclaimed.

"Meaning; I don't think she likes you very much mate," Tony laughed.

Jack slumped back into his seat. "Great".

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Martha was sitting up in her bed when Alf returned about half an hour later. She knew it was time to face her husband. She was scared, but she knew it had to be done. Who knows, maybe he'll turn out to be an okay guy, she thought to herself.

"Are you sure you're ready to do this now?" Alf asked her.

Martha took a deep breath and nodded. "Yeah, I think so. I just want to get it over and done with," she said.

"He's a good guy Martha; you'll like him," Alf told her.

Martha tried to smile. 'I really hope so," she sighed.

"Um," Alf stuttered. Martha could tell that he wanted to say something; he looked uncomfortable.

"What's wrong?" Martha questioned him.

"There is something else you should know," Alf exclaimed.

Martha groaned. What else could he possibly have to say? "Grandad, I don't think I can take anymore surprises," she said to him.

"It's about Jack," Alf started. "You know how you were telling me about the house warming party before and that it was the last thing you remembered," he trailed off.

"Yeah," Martha nodded. For some reason she didn't like where this was heading.

Alf rubbed his hands together. He was nervous. "You also mentioned that copper. You said he was a complete jerk," he said.

"Yeah, he was. He had this smirk that just really pissed me off. He seemed totally up himself," Martha explained to her grandad. "But what has he got to do with this?" she asked.

"He's your husband," Alf blurted.

Martha felt herself tense up. She then started to laugh. "I'm sorry," she scoffed. "What?"

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**NEXT CHAPTER: **Martha and Jack finally get the chance to talk. And Martha has a very big decision to make.

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	6. Chapter 6

**CHAPTER SIX**

"Jack is the copper from that night at the party," Alf said again.

"No, no, no, no, no," Martha started to shake her head in disbelief. "He can't be my husband. There's no way I would have married him. I mean; he's a cop for god sakes. I would never marry a cop," she stated.

Alf shrugged. "Things change. You married a cop," he exclaimed.

Martha wanted to disappear. Why was this happening to her? Why did god feel the need to punish her? She didn't do anything to deserve this.

"This is insane," Martha blurted out. "I married a cop; who is a complete ass-hole. Was I high at the time? Did I smoke some crack or something? Or am I just dead and now living in hell?" she started to talk to herself.

Alf laughed. "I'm beginning to think that you're high right now. What did those nurses give you?" he chuckled.

Martha snapped her gaze onto her grandfather. "This is not funny," she growled.

Alf stopped laughing but still held a small smile on the corner of his mouth. "I know. I'm sorry," he apologized.

"Kill me now," Martha muttered.

"So," Alf started but then paused for a moment. "I'll go get Jack," he announced.

Martha started to panic. "No, I'm not ready. I don't want to do this now. Infact, I don't ever want to do it," she started to ramble.

Alf moved away from the bed and headed towards the bed. "You need to do this Martha; sooner rather than later," he told her as he opened the door.

Martha reached a hand out and grabbed Alf. "No, don't leave me here alone," she pleaded. "I'm scared. Don't leave me alone with him. Please, don't leave me alone with him," she panicked.

Alf shook himself away from Martha's grasp. "You'll be fine," he promised.

"Yea, I don't bite," a voice said from the doorway.

Martha looked up. Jack; the man she was supposedly married to, was standing right there with the baby in his arms. Martha locked eyes with him for a second, but then turned away quickly.

She could fell her heart thumping hard against her chest. Her palms were feeling sweaty and she felt like she was going to pass out. She readjusted herself into a sitting position on her bed and stared straight ahead; ignoring the three people who were still in her doorway.

"I'll leave you two alone then," Alf spoke up and then quickly exited the room.

Martha still had her eyes locked on the white wall across the room. She heard the door shut quietly and then footsteps moving slowly towards her bed. Martha squeezed her eyes shut; in hopes that when she opened them, he would be gone. Of course he was still there when she opened them.

Martha knew that sooner or later she'd have to look up at him, so she decided to just get it over and done with. She slowly raised her eyes and looked at him.

"Hi," Jack smiled at her.

Martha didn't speak. She just kept her eyes trained to his. He looked a little different than the last time she saw him; older perhaps. It has been three years, Martha thought to herself.

"Hey," Martha finally said after a few moments. She then let her eyes drop from his face. They landed on the small child in his arms; her daughter.

"Um, this is Alexandria," Jack told her. "But most of us call her Alex or Joey," he said.

"Joey?" Martha exclaimed.

"Yeah," Jack nodded. "Your dad and your brothers have called her that ever since they first met her and it kinda stuck. So, now most people call her that," he explained.

"Oh," Martha nodded as she looked away. "How old is she?" she then asked.

"Nearly eight months," Jack answered.

Martha didn't say anything; just nodded again.

Jack let out a loud sigh. "So, how are you feeling?" he then asked as he stepped right up beside the bed.

Martha shifted a little. She hoped that he didn't plan on touching her. She wasn't ready for that yet. "I feel okay," she finally replied to his question.

"That's good," Jack smiled at her. He then paused for a moment. "So, Alf mentioned that you remember me from Tasha and Rob's party," he said.

Martha cleared her throat. "Ah yeah, I do. You were that cop," she said.

"Yeah, I was. Apparently you thought I was a jerk," Jack smiled.

"You were," Martha stated; feeling slightly more confident.

"Pardon," Jack scoffed.

"Nothing," Martha smirked at him.

Jack started to laugh. "You soon changed your mind about me," he smirked back at her.

"Yes, well I've already come to the conclusion that I must have been high at that point of time, because there is no way that I would have agreed to go out with you," Martha stated; holding her head high.

"You think what you want, that's fine with me," Jack laughed. "I'm just glad that you're okay," he then said; turning serious.

"I've lost my memory; I'm not okay," Martha exclaimed.

"But you're alive," Jack pointed out. "You came back to us; I always knew you would," he added.

Martha started to feel shy again. The way that he looked at her made her feel strange. She could tell that he loved her. It was written all over his face.

"Alex missed you," Jack told her as he moved right up next to her.

Martha looked at the small child in his arms. Alex was almost a spitting image of her when she as a baby. They had the same eyes and the same facial features. She felt her eyes well up with tears as the baby held her arms out; wanting Martha to hold her.

Martha was unsure of what she wanted to do. This baby was her own flesh and blood. She created this child with Jack. She was her mother. Martha was scared. She didn't know if she was ready to be a mother.

"She needs you," Jack exclaimed. "She hasn't been held by her mother in a month. For her sake; I really need for you to accept her," he said.

Martha knew he was right. She couldn't abandon the child. Alex was a part of her. She reached her arms out and took the baby from him. She pulled Alex in close to her and held her tightly to her chest. Alex automatically snuggled into her; making Martha feel warm inside. It was like something had just triggered inside of her; her maternal instinct maybe. She loved this little girl already and she'd only met her a few minutes ago.

"She's beautiful," Martha exclaimed.

"Like her mother," Jack stated.

Martha looked back towards Jack. She wished he wouldn't do that. She didn't want him saying nice things about her; especially when she didn't have anything nice to say back to him. She didn't know him. She couldn't yet look at him as though he were her husband.

She was willing to accept Alex as her daughter. But she was in no way ready to accept Jack as her husband.

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Jack smiled as he watched Martha bonding with their daughter. She hadn't spoken much to him after he handed Alex over to her. She wouldn't look at him and as much as it hurt him; he knew that he had to accept whatever she gave him. Even if it was nothing.

When he first entered the room with Alex, he half expected Martha to tell him to piss off. He remembered clearly the way Martha used to treat him when they first met. She had disliked him quite a bit and had always made her feelings quite clear. That was always one of the qualities that he really loved about her. She always spoke her mind; even if it meant being a bitch.

Jack snapped out of his thoughts and looked back at Martha. She was tickling Alex's toes' making her giggle. It was so good seeing them back together, and Jack was so pleased that Martha hadn't pushed Alex away.

Maybe, just maybe, everything would be okay.

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	7. Chapter 7

**CHAPTER SEVEN**

"It's nice to meet you," Martha smiled lightly as she shook hands with Tony and then Lucas; her apparent father and brother in law.

They seem like nice guys, Martha thought to herself. After spending half an hour with Jack and Alex in her hospital room, Martha decided that she would like to meet the rest of Jack's family. They were Alex's family and Alex was her daughter; meaning that Tony and Lucas were going to be a big part of her life from now on. So she wanted to get to know them. And so far, they seemed okay.

Tony and Lucas moved away from the bed and Beth rushed up quickly; giving Martha a warm hug. "I'm so glad you're awake sweet," Beth whispered softly as she pulled away.

"Thanks," Martha smiled. "Between you and me; it's kinda nice to see a familiar face," she then said in a quiet voice, so only Beth could hear.

Beth gave her a sad, sympathetic smile. "It'll get better love," she said to Martha.

"So everyone keeps saying," Martha exclaimed with a roll of the eyes.

Beth squeezed Martha's hand and then moved away; standing next to Tony who was now nursing Alex.

"So, I've been told that the two of you are getting married in a month," Martha spoke again; directing the conversation towards Beth and Tony.

Beth nodded her head in excitement. "Yes we are," she answered.

"I'm a lucky guy," Tony exclaimed.

"Well, I'm happy for you," Martha smiled. She paused for a moment before speaking again. "Are Rob, Tash and the others coming back for the wedding?" she asked.

"Yeah, they are," Beth replied. "Scott and Hayley are coming from France, and Kit and Kim are coming down from the city. And Rob and Tash are coming from Boston; that's were they're living now," she explained.

"Grandad told me," Martha smiled sadly. "I can't believe all my friends are gone. It doesn't feel real," she added.

"You have us," Lucas said in a cheerful voice. "And Jack," he pointed out.

"Lucky me," Martha muttered as she looked in Jack's direction. "All my friends are complete strangers," she said harshly.

The three Holden men looked to the ground; clearly hurt by Martha words. They didn't expect her to be so rude.

"Martha," Alf scolded as he sent her disappointed look. "There's no need to take it out on them. They didn't do this to you. So don't speak to them like that," he said.

Martha hung her head in shame. She immediately felt bad. She knew it wasn't their fault. She looked up at them. "I'm sorry; that was uncalled for," she apologised.

"It's alright," Tony waved it off. "You're having a rough time at the moment and you're just not used to us yet. It's okay," he told Martha.

"I liked the old Martha better," Lucas mumbled under his breath.

Jack gave Lucas a dirty look. "Shut it Luc," he hissed.

Martha laughed. "No, its fine," she told Jack. "I was rude first; it's only fair that he get a shot in too," she said.

The room then went quiet for a few moments; nobody sure of what to say next. Lucas coughed; clearing his throat. "So……," he trailed off.

Alex, who was still resting in Tony's arms, gave out a small yawn. "Maybe I should take her home. She needs to take a nap," Jack suggested.

"Yeah," Tony agreed. "We should all probably head off. I'm sure Martha needs some rest," he said.

They all said a quick goodbye and walked out; leaving just Jack and Alf alone with Martha.

"I'll come back tomorrow," Jack told Martha as he stepped up closer to the bed.

Martha shook her head. "No, it's alright. You don't have too. I'm sure you've got work or something. You don't have to worry about me," she told Jack.

Jack smiled softly. "I want too. I'm not working at the moment anyway. I've taken the last month off. I needed to look after Alex," he started. "Besides, you and I really need to talk. We have some important things to discuss," he said.

"Oh goody," Martha exclaimed sarcastically.

"Right," Jack sighed. "I'll see you tomorrow then. Seeya Alf," he said and then quickly exited the room; shutting the door behind him.

Martha let out a loud sigh and flopped back onto the bed. "Well, that sucked," she told Alf.

"You made it worse by being rude," Alf shook his head in disappointment.

"I'm not going to pretend to be happy about this grandad. And you shouldn't expect me to," Martha snapped.

"All I'm saying is that you could have made an effort," Alf sighed.

"I did make an effort," Martha pointed out. "I'm willing to accept Alex as my daughter. I thought I'd made that pretty clear. But as for Jack; I'm not ready to accept him as my husband. And honestly; I might not ever be ready," she added.

Alf nodded. "I guess Alex is the most important thing in all this. I'm glad you're making an effort with her. But don't give up on Jack so quickly," he started. "He's a great guy and a great father. You may grow to like him. Maybe even love him again. Just give it a chance," he pleaded.

"I can't make any promises grandad," Martha exclaimed. "I just….I just can't do it".

Alf shrugged. "I guess I can't do anymore then," he said. "Look, I'm going to go and get you something to eat; I'll be back soon," Alf told her.

"Thanks," Martha smiled.

Alf moved towards the door but then stopped. "I placed a mirror beside your bed. I thought you might like to take a look at yourself. See how much you've changed in three years," he said and then quickly walked out; leaving Martha alone.

Martha leaned to the side and grasped the mirror that Alf had left. She held it in her shaking hands. She was scared. She didn't know why. It's not like she would have changed drastically. She'd probably look a little older; but that was it. She slowly lifted the mirror and took in her appearance.

Yes, she did look a little older and her face looked a little fuller. Her face was quite pale and she had dark circles under her eyes. But she guessed that was what happened when you were in a coma for a month.

Martha placed the mirror back down on the bed. She then lifted her hand up and looked at the rings on her finger. She still wasn't used to them being there. She really wanted to take them off; but a part of her was telling her to leave them on. She was confused. She didn't want to be married, but she knew it was something she'd have to accept.

Besides, who said she had to stay married? If she really wanted to, all she'd have to do was divorce Jack.

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"I'm really glad you're awake," Ric squeezed Martha's hand. "It's good to have my best friend back," he smiled.

"Best friend?" Martha smirked.

Ric laughed. "Oh that's right, you don't remember," he teased. He stopped laughing and then turned serious. "You and I have become pretty close over the last couple of years. After all the bad stuff that's happened; Flynn dying, the explosion at the wedding, the chopper crash, Jack's accident and Sally getting stabbed; it's just brought us all closer, you know," he explained.

"Wait. What?" Martha was confused. What was he talking about? "I don't understand what you're saying. What bad stuff?" she asked her cousin.

"Oh, you haven't been told yet," Ric realized.

"Told what?" Martha was starting to get worked up.

"Maybe I should let grandad or Jack explain all this to you," Ric said.

"Or maybe you should tell me now before I kick your ass," Martha threatened Ric.

"Alright, I'll tell you," Ric sighed.

Over the next 20 minutes Ric explained to her in great detail all the horror that had befallen them over the last couple of years. Martha was shocked to hear about Zoë still being alive and how she ruined her wedding reception, and how Jack nearly died. He told her about the chopper crash and how she was lost out in the bush for three weeks and then while she was missing her grandad had a heart attack. Everybody had thought they were dead. He told her about Mumma Rose and how she had kidnapped her and Tasha. And then how her marriage to Jack had started to break down after only a few months. Ric told her about Jack's accident and how there was a chance he'd never walk again.

"Jack needed a blood transfusion, and the two of you shared the same blood type," Ric started to explain. "You saved his life. After that you realised how close you'd came to losing him and how much you loved him. You decided to give your marriage another shot and since then you and Jack have been more in love than ever. Jack was able to walk again and then you found out you were pregnant with Alex; and everything just started to fall into place," he finished.

"Wow, our lives have been pretty hectic then, huh?" Martha was still flabbergasted. "Maybe it's a good thing I've lost my memory; I don't have to remember all the bad stuff," she said.

"Yeah, but you've forgotten all the good stuff too, and that's not a good thing," Ric pointed out. "Things may have gotten rough at times, but you've also had some amazing times. But the fact that you've forgotten Alex and your life as a Holden; it's sad. They are a part of our family now and you've given them so much joy. They adore you Martha; you're one of them now," he told her.

Martha groaned. "Please Ric; don't. I've heard all this from grandad," she said.

"But Jack's a great guy and you love him, and he loves…..," Ric began, but Martha cut him off.

"He loves me. Yeah, yeah, so I've been told," Martha shrugged. "But I don't remember that love. Why can't everybody just understand that? I need time to figure out what I'm going to do with all this. I'm confused Ric. I don't know who I am anymore. I don't know what I want anymore. And if we're as close as you say we are, then you'll respect my wishes and let me make my own decisions," she said; getting frustrated.

Ric nodded. "Of course; I'm sorry," he apologized. "It's just, Jack is one of my best mates and I'd hate to see him hurt, you know?" Ric told her.

"Are you trying to guilt trip me?" Martha laughed lightly.

"I would never do such a thing," Ric smirked.

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**THE NEXT DAY**

"So, you're feeling much better today then?" Jack asked Martha.

"I guess," Martha shrugged. "I get to leave tomorrow, so I guess that's good," she added.

"It is good," Jack nodded as he moved closer to the bed and sat down on the chair next to her.

Martha tensed up a bit and Jack noticed this. "You don't have to feel weird or shy around me," Jack said.

"I don't," Martha said; hoping she sounded confident.

Jack let out a loud sigh. "Look, I understand that you're feeling uncomfortable around me; I don't blame you. It's okay to feel…..," he started.

Martha was starting to get angry. This guy was really starting to piss her off. "I feel fine, okay? I don't feel weird and I don't feel shy, so stop telling how I feel. Because you have no idea how I feel, so just stop it," she snapped at him.

"Alright, alright," Jack held his hands up in surrender. "There's no need to get upset," he muttered.

"I'm not getting upset. You're just really starting to piss me off," Martha snapped again. "Now, you said we had important things to discuss; so let's get on with it," she sighed.

Jack nodded. "I guess I just wanted to talk about us," he told her.

"Us?" Martha asked.

"Yes, us. As in me and you; husband and wife," Jack said sarcastically.

Martha scoffed. "Okay, let me get something straight. There is no us," she told Jack. "As far as I'm concerned, we are not together. I don't remember you or our marriage, so in my mind; it never happened," she said softly.

Martha could see the hurt in Jack's eyes and she felt bad about it. But she didn't want to lead him on. It was best he knew her true feelings. She didn't want to be with him.

"I'm sorry, but that's just the way I feel," Martha told him as she looked down at her hands.

Jack looked at Martha in sadness. He couldn't believe that this was happening. She didn't want to be with him. She didn't want to be married to him. Jack knew he shouldn't be angry with her. It wasn't her fault.

"So, that's just it then. It's over?" Jack wanted to hear it again; just to make sure that he had heard correct the first time.

"I'm sorry," Martha nodded. "But I just can't see myself married to you. I know that sounds harsh, but you need to know the truth. I can't be with you," she exclaimed.

"What about Alex?" Jack asked her; his voice growing louder. "You're going to give her up too?

"No, I didn't say that," Martha shook her head. "She's my daughter, and I'd never abandon her," she told Jack.

"You can't take her away from me. She's my life and the only thing I have left that represents the life that you and I had together," Jack explained. "I won't let you take her away from me; she's my daughter," he said angrily.

"I wouldn't do that," Martha sighed. "We'll just have to work out something I guess," she added.

"She's staying with me and that's that," Jack stated.

"Like I said, we'll have to figure something out," Martha glared at him.

"So, I guess this means you won't be coming home with me and Alex tomorrow," Jack laughed sarcastically.

"I guess not," Martha exclaimed softly as she looked away from him. She couldn't bear to see the pain in his eyes anymore. She could tell that she had just ruined this guy's life.

**NEXT CHAPTER: **Martha goes home. But will she go home with Jack or Alf?

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	8. Chapter 8

**CHAPTER EIGHT**

Martha dumped her bag on the ground and flopped down onto the couch; letting out a happy sigh. "It's so good to be home," she smiled at Alf as he sat down next to her.

"I'm not too fond of hospitals myself," Alf chuckled.

"I bet," Martha laughed.

Martha took the chance to look around the room. It looked different. The furniture had all been rearranged. "It looks different," she said.

Alf nodded. "A few different people have lived here over the last two years," he started. "Brad lived here for awhile before he eventually moved in with Sally. And then Kim and Kit stayed here for a few months after little Kerry was born. But now I'm back here, and Morag comes and stays whenever she's in town," Alf explained to Martha.

"I'm guessing I don't exactly have a room here anymore, huh?" Martha laughed.

"All of your stuff is at your place….," Alf trailed off. "Sorry, I mean at Jack's place," he sighed.

"It's alright grandad," Martha patted his shoulder. "I'll just have to organize a time when I can go and grab some stuff from there," she said as she stood up.

Alf shifted uncomfortably in his chair and then stood up aswell. "Are you sure you want to do that?" he asked Martha.

"What do you mean?" Martha shook her head; confused.

"I'm just saying you shouldn't make any rash decisions. I mean, who knows, you might end up back at Jack's. So what's the point in bringing all of your stuff here," Alf pointed out.

Martha laughed. "I'm not going to live in a house with a complete stranger. And Jack is a stranger to me," she began. She then turned serious. "I'm not going back there; I thought I made that pretty clear. So just drop it, because I'm not going to change my mind. Not now, not ever," she snapped.

"Fine," Alf held his hands up in defeat.

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After an hour of convincing her grandfather she would be fine staying by herself for a while; Alf finally headed off for his short shift at the bar. Martha was actually looking forward to spending some time alone.

Martha was sitting at the dining table eating a sandwich when she noticed a few new photographs hanging on the walls and sitting on the shelves. Curious; she got up and took a look.

The first one was of her and Alex; sitting up in a hospital bed. Alex was tiny, so Martha guessed that it must have been taken not long after she was born. The next photo was of her and Jack, on which she presumed, was her wedding day. She had to admit that Jack looked pretty handsome in a suit. She and Jack looked so happy together in the photo; so in love. Starting to feel weird, she put the photo back in its place and moved onto the next one.

It was another one of her and Jack, but this time, Alex was with them. Martha thought they looked like one happy family. Suddenly Martha started to feel bad. That happy family was now ruined and it was all her fault.

Martha scolded herself for feeling bad about it. She knew she shouldn't blame herself. It wasn't her fault that she had lost her memory and became a bitch. Okay, maybe the bitch part was true. She knew she had been pretty harsh towards Jack the day before, but she couldn't help being a cow to him. Her shackles always seemed to rise when she was around him. He pissed her off. But she liked it.

Martha laughed out loud. Why was she suddenly thinking about Jack? He was a jerk. She didn't want to think about him. Because every time she did, she thought about that smile of his and how sexy she thought it was. She didn't want to think of him as sexy because then that would mean that a part of her liked him. And she didn't want to like him.

She shook her head; trying to rid her thoughts of Jack. She let out a loud sigh and walked across the room. From the corner of her eye she spotted a stack of videos. She picked one of them up and looked at the writing on it.

_Jack and Martha's Wedding_

Without even thinking first, she slid the video from its case and popped it into the video player. She mentally kicked herself for doing this, but there was a part of her that really needed to see this. She picked up the remote control and pressed play. She crossed her legs and sat on the carpet; waiting for the tape to start.

Her face suddenly appeared on screen. She was grinning from ear to ear. Her arm was looped with her grandfathers and he was walking her down the aisle. Martha's heart was racing so fast, her palms were starting to feel sweaty and she had butterflies fluttering wildly in her stomach, but she kept on watching. She needed to.

She watched as she placed a soft kiss on her grandfather's cheek and then moved closer to Jack; who then took her hand in his.

Martha was then startled when she heard a noise at the door. She quickly flicked off the video and then the TV; jumping up and sitting in the closest chair.

"Hey love, just me," Alf smiled as he entered the apartment. "I didn't have to work after all," he told her.

Martha just smiled and nodded; hoping that she didn't look like she had just been caught with her hand in a cookie jar. "That's nice," she swallowed the lump that had just formed in her throat.

Alf looked at her curiously. "You seem a bit flushed; are you alright?" he asked her.

"I'm just feeling a bit warm," Martha lied as she got up and walked towards him.

"Okay, as long as that's it," Alf nodded; accepting what she had told him.

"Yeah," Martha nodded. She quickly averted her eyes from him and they fell onto the photo of her with Jack and Alex. She picked it up and smiled. She wished she could be as happy now as she looked in that photo.

"She's beautiful, isn't she?" Alf pointed out; referring to Alex.

"That she is," Martha agreed.

"So, have you figured out what you're going to do about her? You'll have to come to a decision soon. Jack's already told me that he doesn't want you to take Alex away from him, but he's also told me that he's willing to compromise," Alf explained.

Martha wasn't really listening to Alf. She was too busy looking at the photo that was still in her hands. Her eyes drifted away from Alex and landed on Jack's face. It was now that she noticed how nice his brown eyes were. There was something in his eyes that told her she could trust him. Why hadn't she ever seen it before?

"Martha, are you even listening to me?" Alf pulled Martha away from her thoughts.

"Huh, oh yeah. What were you saying?" Martha asked Alf; still in a daze.

Alf groaned in frustration. "I asked what you were going to do about Alex. She really needs to have both of her parents around; I just wish that you would realize that," he said.

"I do realize that," Martha told her grandfather. "Infact, I need you to take me somewhere. Can you get my bag?"

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"Can you make sure that you don't get the custard all over her face this time?" Jack laughed as he watched Lucas feeding Alex.

Lucas weaved the spoon through the air; making aero plane noises. He kept going until the spoon reached Alex's lips. "Open up," he said in a gruff voice which made Alex laugh.

Alex opened her mouth and Lucas spooned the custard in onto her tongue. Purposely, Lucas made sure that he got some on her face.

"Did you not just hear what I said?" Jack asked.

"Sorry, it was an accident," Lucas said innocently.

"Accident my ass," Jack muttered under his breath.

Lucas looked at Alex and fed her another spoonful of custard. "You know, your father is such a party pooper," he exclaimed.

"I heard that," Jack glared at Lucas. He was just about to open his mouth and talk again when he heard a knock at the front door. He stood up quickly and moved across the room. He was surprised when he found Martha standing there with a bag.

"What are you doing here?" he asked softly.

"This is my house, isn't it?" Martha scoffed.

"Yeah, it's just…," Jack stuttered. "What are you doing here?" he asked again.

"I'm moving in," Martha smirked and shoved her way inside.

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**NEXT CHAPTER – **Martha lays down the rules.

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	9. Chapter 9

**CHAPTER NINE**

"Nice place," Martha exclaimed as she looked around the room.

"Ah, yeah," Jack stuttered; still in a state of shock.

"So," Lucas coughed. "You've decided to move back in after all?" he asked as he pulled Alex out of her high chair and then sat her in the playpen.

Martha nodded. "Yeah, that's okay, isn't it?" she questioned.

"Of course it is. It's great," Jack grinned. "I'm really glad," he added.

Martha looked over at his smiling face. She could tell he was pretty happy. "Yeah, well don't get to excited. I'm not doing it for you; I'm doing it for Alex," she told him.

Jack tried not to look disappointed, but Martha still noticed the frown that appeared on his face. "I know that. Why else would you be moving in?" Jack muttered as he walked into the kitchen; picking up Alex's empty bowl on the way.

Lucas started to smirk. "You probably thought she was moving back for you……," he started, but Jack cut him off.

"Shut it," Jack pointed a finger at him.

"Excuse me for speaking," Lucas kept on smirking.

Martha held her fingers up to her mouth; trying her hardest not to laugh. She had noticed the blush that had rushed into Jack's cheeks. It was also funny watching these two brothers tormenting and nipping at each other. "Are you two always like this?" she asked.

"No," Jack stated. "It's just Lucas sometimes doesn't know when to shut his mouth," he explained.

"Right," Martha smiled lightly. "Anyhoo, let's lay down some rules, shall we?" she clapped her hands together.

"Rules? What rules?" Jack looked at her like she was crazy.

"Rules that state what you can and can't do," Martha replied.

Jack scoffed. "Hate to break it to you sweetheart," he drawled. "But I can do whatever the hell I want," he told her.

It was Martha's turn to scoff. "Well sweetheart," she mimicked. "When it comes to me, you can't do whatever you want," she smiled sweetly.

Lucas laughed out loud. "This is going to be so much fun to watch," he rubbed his hands together gleefully.

"Go for a walk," Jack ordered his brother.

Martha held her hand up in protest. "No, no, he can stay. It's totally fine," she said.

"Eat that," Lucas smiled smartly at Jack.

Jack sighed. "Okay, lets here these rules then," he groaned.

Martha smiled. "Good, but first off, no interrupting. If you have something to say, you can say it when I'm done," she ordered.

"Whatever," Jack rolled his eyes. "Just get on with it," he said.

"No need to get snotty," Martha laughed. "Okay, rules then. Firstly, you will not tell me what to do, especially when it comes to looking after Alex. And tomorrow you can go back to work. I don't need you here hovering over my shoulder and picking at everything that I do," she started.

"I've already organized to go back to work on Monday, so I still got two days to go," Jack told Martha.

Martha held her hand up. "Didn't I just say to wait until I was finished talking?" she asked.

"Yeah, but I just needed to tell….," Jack started.

"Zip it. I'm not done yet," Martha huffed.

Jack laughed. "Was she ever this bossy?" he looked over at Lucas. Without waiting for an answer, he quickly looked back at Martha. "You were never this bossy," he exclaimed.

"Deal with it buddy," Martha glared at him. She shook her head and started again. "Next rule is about a hundred rules all rolled into one, kay. You will, I repeat, you will keep your hands to yourself at all times. No touching, no hugging, no hand holding, no kissing and especially no flirting," she continued.

"Wait. Why not? You're my wi….," Jack once again butted in.

"I'm still not done," Martha raised her voice. She paused for a moment before starting again. "I swear to god, if you even try to hit on me or make a move; I will beat the living crap out of you. Got it," she smirked at Jack.

Jack just nodded. He didn't have anything to say at this moment in time.

Martha laughed to herself. The look on his face was priceless. She loved being in control and being able to control this man in front of her was so much fun.

Martha heard a snicker come from behind her and she whirled around to face Lucas. "And you," she pointed her finger at him.

Lucas took a quick step back; a look of shock registering on his face. "Me? What did I do?" he asked.

Martha smiled and lowered her finger. "I like you. The other day you basically called me a bitch to my face. You were the only one who had enough guts to do it. I like that," she told him.

Lucas started to smile. "Did you hear that Jack? She likes me. She probably likes me more than she likes you," he tormented his brother.

Jack looked over at Martha. "I'll call you a bitch if you want me to," he exclaimed.

"Your life will end if you ever call me a bitch," Martha warned him.

"Righty-o then," Jack backed down.

"So, now that the rules have been set; where will I be sleeping?" Martha asked.

"Um, you can have our room. I mean my room…..," Jack trailed off. "I can sleep in Alex's room on the spare bed," he told her.

"No," Martha shook her head. "I can sleep in with Alex," she protested.

"No, it's fine. You can have my room. End of story," Jack told her.

"Fine," Martha huffed in defeat. "Where is it?" she asked.

Jack pointed towards a room with its door closed. "In there. I changed the sheets this morning, so it's clean," he said.

"Thanks," Martha smiled gratefully and then picked up her bag; heading off towards her new room.

Jack waited until she was out of ear shot before turning to Lucas. "My life has just become hell," he exclaimed.

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Martha closed the door behind her and glanced around the room. She had to admit that it was a nice room. It was tidy, and the bed was huge. She liked it; although she'd never admit it of course. She moved towards the bed and sat down. It was comfy.

Martha looked at the bedside table and noticed a couple of pictures. One of them was the same picture her grandfather had. It was the one of her and Jack on their wedding day. There was also another picture of Alex. Martha picked it up. Alex was such a beautiful little thing. She could see traces of both herself and Jack in Alex's face. There was no doubt that she belonged to Martha and Jack. Martha gently placed the frame back down on the bedside table and then stood up.

Feeling curious, she walked towards the wardrobe. She opened it and took a look inside. One side was filled with Jack's clothes and the other half with her own. She flicked through some of her stuff; noting all the new stuff that had been added to her collection. She noticed that her taste in clothing had changed a little bit, but she still liked what she saw.

Martha closed the wardrobe door and spun around; thinking about what else she could look at. But before she did, she decided to go out and grab a drink. Her mouth was dry. She took a hold of the door handle and started to pull the door open. But she stopped when she heard Jack and Lucas speaking. She didn't want to ear wig, but hey, they may have been talking about her. She held her breath and listened carefully.

"I can't believe that you gave up your bed," Lucas said to Jack.

"Yeah well, I thought that maybe if Martha slept in her own bed and in her own room, she might remember something," Jack told Lucas.

"Remember what Jack?" Lucas asked.

Jack shrugged. "I don't know. Something, anything. Just as long as she remembers," he sighed.

Lucas started to laugh. "Jack, the only things remotely interesting that she could remember from that room, are the dirty things the two of you used to do in there," he teased.

"That's totally fine with me," Jack smirked.

Martha quietly shut the door. She didn't want to listen to anymore. She turned around and stepped forward, but then stopped. The bed. The very thing Jack had just been talking about.

Damn Jack Holden for putting thoughts into my head, she thought to herself.

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	10. Chapter 10

**CHAPTER TEN**

"So, what have you got planned for today?" Jack asked Martha the next morning as they all sat down for breakfast.

"Nothing much. Just going to catch up with Cassie and Matilda," Martha spoke before taking a sip of tea. "They're going to introduce me to Belle. Well, re-introduce us, that is," she sighed.

Martha knew that there were a lot of people that she had forgotten. Most of them close friends; Belle, Rachel, Brad. Apparently there was even a guy named Drew, who turned out to be Peter Baker's love child.

"Did you want to take Alex with you?" Jack then asked.

Martha nodded. "Yeah, if that's okay," she answered.

"Of course it's fine," Jack smiled across at her.

"I need to make up for all the time we lost," Martha cooed as she reached out and tickled Alex's chin. Lucas had told her that Alex loved having her chin tickled. Martha found that she couldn't stop doing it. She loved the way Alex's eyes would light up in excitement every time she done it.

"If you have any problems with her, just give me a call," Jack then told her.

Martha rolled her eyes at Jack. "I'm sure I'll be fine. I can look after my own child," she said to him.

"I was just saying," Jack protested.

"Yeah, well don't just say," Martha snapped at him. "Like I said yesterday; I don't want you hanging over my shoulder picking at all my faults," she continued.

"Geez, don't have a fit," Jack exclaimed with a laugh.

"You are so not funny," Martha scoffed as she stood up. "Now, if you'll excuse me; I promised the girls I'd meet them at the Noah's at ten am. I don't want to be late," she said as she lifted Alex from her highchair.

"Bye Joey," Jack leant down and kissed Alex's head quickly.

"Say goodbye to the moron that is your father," Martha said sweetly to Alex as she placed her in the pram.

Jack laughed. "You are so not funny," he mimicked.

Martha shot Jack a dirty look before turning around and heading for the door. As she exited, Lucas entered. He'd gone out earlier that morning for a surf.

"Hi Lucas. Bye Lucas," Martha called out as she kept on walking.

"Bye Honey," Jack yelled out sarcastically.

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Martha spent a few good hours talking with her friends. She found that she really liked Belle. She was feisty and stood up for herself. She didn't care what people thought of her. In some ways, Belle reminded Martha of herself. And that was probably why they got on well.

Martha made her way up to the front door of Jack's place and entered; pushing the pram in front of her. She had thought it would be best if she took Alex home for lunch. When she entered, she found Lucas and Jack standing at the bench making up some sandwiches.

"Hi," both Lucas and Jack said at the same time.

"Hey," Martha said back as she took Alex out of the pram.

"Are you hungry?" Jack asked her.

Martha nodded. "A bit," she answered.

"Good, we've just made some chicken and salad sandwiches," Jack told her.

"My favorite," Martha exclaimed.

"I know," Jack smiled sweetly at her.

Martha suddenly felt shy. She hated that Jack could make her feel that way. She was never a shy person until she met him. She sat Alex in her highchair and tried to change the subject.

"Um, what about Alex? What does she like?" she asked.

"She really likes the custards and jellies," Jack told her. "She's only been on solids for a couple of months, and she's seemed to have taken a liking to those," he explained.

"More like Jack's taken a liking to those," Lucas scoffed.

"What? No, I haven't," Jack protested.

"Lie," Lucas laughed as he pointed his finger at Jack. He then turned to face Martha. "When Jack does the groceries, he always picks out the flavors he likes. So that way, he can eat Alex's leftovers," he told her.

"Shut up," Jack shook his head.

"Jack likes the banana and chocolate flavored custard," Lucas added in a baby voice.

Martha started to giggle, but Jack soon put a stop to that. "Hey, don't you laugh; you used to do it too," he pointed out.

"Sorry, but I don't remember that. And if I don't remember, then it didn't happen," Martha laughed.

"Sorry Jack, but you're the only loser in this room," Lucas tormented.

"Can we just shut up and eat," Jack sat down at the table in a huff.

Lucas and Martha continued to laugh at Jack for a few more minutes, but then settled down so that they could eat their lunch. The conversation soon turned towards Martha's morning with the girls. After a while she started to get sick of talking about herself, so she changed the subject.

"So, do you guys have lives, or do you prefer to be losers and sit at home all day," she smirked.

"We've been surfing and we played x-box. We are so not losers," Lucas exclaimed.

"X-box? Hmm, how exciting," Martha said sarcastically.

"Hey, don't knock the x-box," Lucas told her. "Besides, you used to love playing it with me," he added.

"I did?" Martha asked with a frown.

"Yeah," Lucas smiled. "We always used to do fun stuff together. You took me horse-riding this one time. It was great. I loved it; even if I did fall off and almost break my leg," he laughed.

Martha tried to smile, but couldn't. It was like she being reminded every five seconds that she had amnesia. Her friends and family couldn't help it, but they were always bringing it up. They were always saying things about her and saying how much fun she was. But she couldn't remember. And it hurt.

"I'm sorry that I don't remember. I wish I could," she frowned. She then stood up and pushed her chair out. "Um, I'm not feeling well. I might go and lye down if that's okay," she smiled softly and then quickly walked off to her room.

Jack turned to Lucas and glared at him. "Good one idiot," he snapped.

Lucas was confused. "What did I do?" he said.

"She doesn't need to be reminded every minute about how different she is now. She knows that she's lost her memory, so there's no need to keep saying it over and over again," Jack explained to him.

"I wasn't doing it on purpose," Lucas frowned at Jack.

"I know," Jack sighed. "But how do you think she feels every time someone brings up something from her past; something that she doesn't remember. It's obvious from the look on her face that it hurts. Besides if she wants to know something about her life, she'll ask," he added.

"I hope you plan on taking that advice also," Lucas said to Jack.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Jack questioned.

Lucas rolled his eyes. "You're living in the same house as your wife, yet you're not allowed to touch her. Don't tell me you're not going to do everything you can to make her remember your life together," he started. "Soon enough, it's going to start eating away at you and if Martha doesn't remember anything soon, then your marriage is going to be over. And there won't be anything you can do to stop it," he finished before standing up.

"Where are you going?" Jack demanded to know.

"I'm going to see dad. You got a problem with that?" Lucas snapped and then quickly exited.

Jack let out a loud sigh before looking over at his daughter. "If mummy doesn't remember anything soon, then we're screwed Joey," he said softly as he reached out and rubbed her cheek.

"Totally screwed," he muttered.

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It was a few hours before Martha came out of her room again. Lucas still wasn't back either.

"You feeling better?" Jack asked her.

"Yeah," Martha nodded. "Where's Alex?" she then questioned.

"I just put her down for a nap," Jack answered as he sat down next to her on the couch. "Look, I hope Lucas didn't upset you earlier. You know; when he was talking about all the stuff you used to do with him," he then said.

"It just sucks that I can't remember. Sometimes I forget about it, but then someone brings it up again. And the more they talk about it, the more real it feels," Martha started to explain. "I feel like a complete stranger in a brand new world. It's like everything I once knew is gone. I'm not the person I used to be. I can't be her anymore and people need to stop expecting me to be," she finished as she blinked away her tears.

"I'm sorry if you think that I'm pushing you," Jack said and reached out and touched her hand softly.

Martha couldn't help but flinch. She quickly moved her hand away from his. "Don't do that, please," she begged.

"I'm sorry. I just keep forgetting that I can't do that anymore," Jack apologized.

Martha shrugged. "I just can't deal with that sort of stuff right now. I know that we're married and you should be able to touch me whenever you want, but I just can't deal with it right now. I need to take things one step at a time. And Alex is the most important thing at the moment," she explained to him.

"I understand that," Jack nodded. "I'm not going to make you do anything you don't want to do," he said.

"Thank you," Martha smiled gratefully. She then coughed and stood up. "I promised Sally that I would go and visit. She wants me to meet Brad. Again," she laughed.

"Okay," Jack said.

"I won't be long," Martha told him as she picked up her car keys and then left.

Jack groaned and fell back onto the couch. Lucas was right. It was starting to eat away at him and there was nothing he could do to stop it. He had told Martha that he understood, but in reality, he didn't. He was angry. He hated the life that he now had. Alex was the only thing keeping him sane.

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**NEXT CHAPTER –**Martha remembers something and someone from her missing years. But who and what will it be?

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	11. Chapter 11

**CHAPTER ELEVEN**

Martha was sitting in the rocking chair in Alex's room; holding the near sleeping baby. She'd just finished feeding her a bottle and was about to put her down for the night. Martha stood up and started to rock Alex gently in her arms. She then gently placed her in the cot and pulled the blanket up over her small body.

"You are so beautiful," Martha said softly as she caressed her daughter's cheek. "At first I didn't think I was going to be able to do this. I didn't think I could be a mother to you, but now, I know that I could never give you up. I might not remember you, but I still love you more than anything," she smiled down at Alex.

"Goodnight Alex," Martha then leant down and placed a kiss on Alex's head.

She quietly left the room and made her towards the lounge room; where Jack and Lucas were sitting in the dark watching a movie.

"Did Alex go down okay?" Jack asked her as she sat down on the single chair.

"Yeah," Martha nodded. "She's asleep now," she said.

"I had trouble with her for a while after the accident. She hardly slept. I guess she was just so used to having you putting her down every night," Jack explained.

"Well, I'm here now. So she should be fine," Martha told him. "Anyways, you're back off to work tomorrow aren't you?" she then asked.

"Yeah, and I'm actually looking forward to it too," Jack smiled.

"Great," Martha exclaimed. "What about you Lucas?" she questioned.

"Oh, I've got a class tomorrow at Uni, and then a shift at the gym later on in the arvo," Lucas told her without even taking his eyes away from the T.V.

"What are you studying?" Martha was curious.

"I want to be a P.E teacher," Lucas answered.

"Cool," Martha stated.

They sat and watched the movie for about another half and hour before Martha started to grow tired. "I'm gonna hit the sack," she told them.

"Goodnight," both Jack and Lucas said at the same time.

Martha changed into her pajamas and then lowered herself into bed. She was so tired and it was only minutes before she drifted off.

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_**DREAM PLANE**_

_She had to get away from him. She had to hide. She had to keep running. She knew what he had done and he was now trying to kill her. She wished Jack would hurry up and find her._

_She was tired and her leg and hands was sore from were the barbed wire had pierced her skin. Up ahead she heard the wailing of a police siren. Thank god, she thought to herself as she pushed her way through the scrub._

"_Jack," she screamed out as the police car pulled to a stop. "Jack," she cried as she threw herself into his arms._

_He held her tight and told her everything was okay now. They walked back into the bush together; Jack had his gun out as a precaution. But when they got to the spot where she had left him; he was gone._

_They spun around in circles; searching for the insane young man. Martha let out a loud gasp as she was grabbed from behind and held in a head-lock._

_She gasped for breath. She couldn't breathe. She pleaded at Jack with her eyes; wanting him to help her. Save her…………………_

Martha shot up with a gasp; clutching at her burning throat. She took in the fresh air, and tried to control her breathing. She looked down at her hands. They were shaking like crazy.

"What the hell was that?" she muttered to herself. "Crazy dream! It felt so real," she said.

She jumped up out of bed and headed out to the kitchen. She needed a glass of water. She grabbed a glass and filled it up with cold water. She drank it down quickly; soothing her still burning throat. Her breathing had almost gone back to normal, but her hands were still a bit shaky. She filled her glass again and then sat down at the bench.

"Martha," a voice from behind her spoke. She turned around to find Jack standing a few meters away from her; rubbing at his sleepy eyes.

"What are you doing? Are you okay?" Jack asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Martha answered; her voice a little shaky.

"You don't sound okay," Jack pointed out as he sat on the stool next to her.

Martha let out a loud sigh. "I just had this really strange dream. It freaked me out a bit, that's all," she told him. "It's no biggie," she exclaimed.

"What was it about?" Jack was curious. "It must have been pretty bad; you're shaking like a leaf," he said as he reached out and grabbed her hand; trying to make it still.

Martha took note of the warmth of Jack's hand. It was nice. "Um," she snapped out of her thoughts and pulled her hand away. I may as well tell him, she thought to herself.

"Some guy was trying to kill me," Martha told him.

"What?" Jack was surprised.

"Yeah, it was weird. I'm not sure what it was about, but he was chasing me through the bush and wanted to kill me. But then you arrived in your police car," Martha explained to Jack.

"Was there anymore? Tell me," Jack demanded.

Martha looked at him in shock. "Why do you want to know?" she was surprised at his sudden interest.

"Just tell me," Jack snapped at her.

"Geez, alright, don't have a coronary," Martha snapped back at him. "Like I said, it was weird. You and I went looking for this guy, but he was gone. But then he grabbed from behind and he was holding me around the neck. I couldn't breathe. Then I woke up," she told him.

"Oh my god," Jack exclaimed out loud.

"What? What is it?" Martha wanted to know.

"That wasn't a dream Martha. That was a memory. It actually happened," Jack told her.

"No way," Martha was stunned.

"Yes way," Jack nodded with a smile.

"Wow," Martha was too shocked to say anything else. She'd actually remembered something. Of course it wasn't something great. Infact, it was bad.

"Wait, somebody tried to kill me?" she practically spat out.

"It's a long story," Jack sighed.

"I'm all ears," Martha exclaimed.

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**THE NEXT MORNING**

"So, Jack told me that you remembered something last night," Lucas said to Martha the next morning when she came out for breakfast.

"Yeah, in my dream. Apparently some boyfriend of mine tried to kill me," Martha tried to laugh it off.

"Yeah, Corey was a bit loony," Lucas exclaimed.

Martha still couldn't believe it. An old boyfriend of hers had actually tried to kill her. And Jack had been the one who had saved her. At first she was a bit pissed off that she hadn't been told about it sooner, but she had eventually gotten over it. She and Jack had spoken for about an hour about it the night before. He'd even explained to her about the events that had happened afterwards.

Apparently she'd brought a gun because she was scared and then that gun had been stolen from her car. That gun was then used by Barry Hyde to kill Josh West. Talk about a chain of events, Martha had thought to herself.

"Where is Jack by the way?" Martha asked Lucas.

"Oh, he's already gone to work," Lucas answered as he munched on a piece of toast.

"Oh okay," Martha muttered. After their talk the night before, Martha felt as though she knew him a bit better. But she also now felt indebted to him. He'd saved her life. She'd probably never be able to thank him enough for that.

"Speaking of leaving, I'd better head off too! I don't want to be late for my class," Lucas jumped up and grabbed his bag; shoveling the last piece of toast into his mouth. "You'll be okay with Alex?" he then asked.

"Of course. Now shoo," Martha pushed him out the door.

"See ya later. Jack should be home by two," Lucas yelled out.

"Bye," Martha called in return.

Martha turned to look at Alex; who was sitting up in her playpen. She smiled at her. "It's just you and me kid," she exclaimed.

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**NEXT CHAPTER: Who thinks that they might be pregnant?**

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	12. Chapter 12

**CHAPTER TWELVE**

Martha had spent the day looking through photo albums and watching home videos. It felt so strange watching herself doing things on screen; things that she couldn't even recall doing.

The one thing she hadn't had enough guts to watch yet; was the rest of the wedding video. She watched the first minute at her grandads the week before, but she didn't have enough courage to watch the rest yet.

She loved going through and watching all the videos with Alex in them. And the one thing that she did notice was how happy she and Jack were together in them. She'd notice that they were always kissing or holding hands. Just from looking at the two of them together, she knew that she must have been deeply in love with him. And she could see that he felt the same.

It made her feel guilty; that she couldn't love him the way he loved her. She wished so much that she could remember, but she just couldn't. She couldn't love him if she didn't remember.

"Knock knock," a voice sounded from the door.

Martha looked up and smiled when she found Cassie standing at the door. "Hey Cass, come in," she invited.

As soon as Cassie stepped inside, Martha could tell that she was upset. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"You know how I was telling you about Adam, my boyfriend?" Cassie said to her.

"Yeah," Martha nodded. "You said that he's a jerk," she added.

"I think I'm pregnant," Cassie exclaimed.

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"Okay, so you peed on the stick?" Martha asked as Cassie sat back down next to her; placing the pregnancy test in front of her.

"Yep," Cassie nodded solemnly as she rested her head on the table. "This can't be happening," she cried.

"Would it be such a bad thing if you are pregnant?" Martha questioned her.

"Yes," Cassie answered. "I've only been dating him for two months, and I'm starting to think that he's not a very nice guy anyway. He's always flirting with other girls; I don't think he appreciates me," she explained.

"Well, we'll find out in a couple of minutes. Just keep your fingers crossed," Martha told her.

"Fingers crossed for what?" a voice asked as they entered the house. It was Matilda.

"Hey Mattie," Martha smiled.

"Ok, so I came as soon as you rang. What's going on?" Matilda wanted to know.

"I just need your support," Cassie answered.

Matilda was confused. "Support for wh….," she started before trailing off. "Oh my god. What is that?" she emphasized as she pointed at the pregnancy test.

"That my friend is a whole lot of trouble on a little white stick," Martha exclaimed.

"Your pregnant?" Matilda demanded to know.

"We're waiting on the results," Cassie sighed.

"Cass, you can't have a baby with Adam. He's a total creep," Matilda cried.

"Please Matilda, not now. Let's just concentrate on this friggin test," Cassie said to Matilda.

Matilda opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off my Martha's phone beeping.

"This is it. Time for the results," Martha told Cassie.

Cassie squeezed her eyes shut. "I can't look. You read it," she told Martha.

"Okay," Martha shrugged as she took the test from Cassie.

She stared at the stick for a few moments before starting to smile. "False alarm," she exclaimed.

Both Cassie and Matilda sighed in relief. "Oh thank god," Cassie shrieked as she jumped up and down in excitement.

Matilda and Martha laughed at her; never seeing someone get so excited over the thought of not having a baby.

After her little happy dance, Cassie sat back down and looked over at Martha and Matilda. "What now? What do I do about Adam?" she asked.

Martha smiled sweetly. "Oh, you gonna dump that lil boy," she drawled.

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"Hello, I'm home," Jack called out as he walked through the front door.

"I'm just changing Alex. I'll be out in a second," Martha called back.

Jack walked across the room and put his backpack down and then took of his jacket. He'd had a long and tiring day at work and he was so glad to be home. He went to the fridge and took out a beer; unscrewing the lid and taking a mouthful.

"That's good," Jack sighed in happiness.

Jack then leant down and put the bottle cap in the bin. He was just about to lean back up when something caught his eye; a pregnancy test box.

"What the hell," Jack exclaimed as he reached in and picked it up.

Jack studied it closely; taking note that it was empty. The test must have already been taken.

Is Martha pregnant? Jack thought to himself.

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"All clean now," Martha cooed at Alex as she picked her up and walked out to the lounge room. Jack was standing at the kitchen bench, with his back towards her.

"Hey," Martha said as she placed Alex in her play pen.

"Hey," Jack said back to her.

"Are you okay?" Martha asked him when she noticed that he still hadn't turned around to face her.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Jack smiled as he turned around and looked at her. "I'm just a bit surprised, that's all," he told her.

"About what?" Martha questioned. Jack was acting strange; that much she could tell. And now she wanted to know why.

"Is there something you want to tell me?" Jack asked as he produced the pregnancy test from behind his back.

Martha started to laugh. She should have known that Jack would find the empty box and then presume that it was hers.

"Why are you laughing?" Jack frowned. "The box is empty so you must have already taken the test. Are you pregnant?" he wanted to know.

"No, I'm not," Martha stopped laughing, but still kept a smile on her face. "Infact, the test isn't even mine," she told Jack.

"Oh," Jack sighed; disappointment clearly in his voice.

Martha continued to smile at him. "You sound disappointed," she exclaimed.

Jack shook his head at her. "Why would I be disappointed? We've already got one baby. That's enough for now," he said as he turned away and through the empty box back into the bin.

"Totally," Martha agreed. "Besides if I were pregnant, the doctors probably would have found out while I was in a coma," she said.

"Not necessarily," Jack pointed out. "I mean, you and I had sex on the morning of the accident. You could have easily fell pregnant then, but then not find out about it until now," he explained.

Martha felt a warm flush come over her body as soon as Jack mentioned the two of them having sex together. She'd never really thought about the sex life that she had more than likely had with him in her missing years. Of course she knew that they'd had sex. How else would they have gotten Alex?

"Are you blushing?" Jack teased her when he noticed the pink in her cheeks flaring up.

"Why would I be blushing?" Martha shook her head at him as she turned away and sat at the dining table.

"Because you're thinking about the two of us doing it," Jack smirked as he sat down across from her.

"What? No, I'm not," Martha protested.

Jack laughed at her. "So, you haven't thought about having sex with me?" he questioned her; still smirking.

"No, I haven't," Martha stammered, but stood her ground.

"Okay," Jack nodded and just smiled across at her.

Martha felt herself warming up again. The way he was looking at her made her feel things that she didn't want to feel. She coughed a little and tried to change the subject.

"So, yeah, I'm totally not pregnant. This is a good thing by the way. I mean, you and I aren't even together, so it would kinda suck if I had another baby with you," she said to him.

Martha noticed his face fall. She felt bad. She hadn't intended for that to sound so harsh. "I didn't me…..," she started to say, but Jack cut her off.

"It's fine. Don't worry," he said as he stood up. "I'm gonna take a shower," Jack told her before walking off towards the bathroom.

"Crap," Martha muttered. Now things were going to be weird again.

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	13. Chapter 13

**CHAPTER THIRTEEN**

ONE WEEK LATER

Another week had passed and there had been no more changes to Martha's memory. She had thought that after receiving the Corey memory, she'd probably get some more, but she hadn't. She was pretty disappointed too! She had really hoped that she'd get a memory of Alex. And a tiny part of her wished that she would remember something about her relationship with Jack.

Things with Jack had been really good over the last week. Martha had thought that things would have been a bit strange between after the whole fiasco with Jack finding Cassie's pregnancy test and assuming that it was hers. Fortunately, Jack had been totally fine afterwards. Martha had been so sure that she had hurt his feelings. He had assured her that his feelings hadn't been hurt. Either that or he was just a really good actor.

Martha and Jack had actually spent a fair bit of time with each other over the last week. She had thought that it would be a good idea; that maybe hanging out with him would trigger another memory. But of course it was to no avail. Her mind was still a complete blank.

Martha had also come to the conclusion that Jack was genuinely a nice guy. She could see how much he adored Alex and how much he loved his family. Martha really appreciated that quality about him.

Even though Martha was willing to admit that Jack was a nice guy, it didn't mean that she liked him any more than a friend. She still called him a jerk to his face and she still managed to pick fights with him whenever the time would arise. It was fun and she enjoyed it.

At the moment Martha was at home with Alex. It was lunch time and she was feeding Alex some new vegetable baby food. Martha gently spooned the food into Alex's mouth, but she immediately spat it out. Martha laughed as the goo dripped down Alex's chin.

"No likey," Martha pouted as she wiped it away with a cloth. Once she had finished wiping Alex's face, she picked up the bowl and spoon again. "How bouts I have a go hey?" she suggested with a smile. She lifted the spoon to her lips and had a taste. She screwed her face up in disgust at the taste of it.

"My god, that's horrid," she exclaimed as she pushed the bowl away from her. "I don't blame you for not liking it," she smiled at Alex who was watching her curiously with her bright beady eyes.

"Are you talking to yourself," Jack suddenly appeared at the door.

Martha looked up at him and smirked. "I was talking to Alex," she told him.

"You do know that she can't talk back, right?" Jack laughed at her.

Martha stood up and crossed her arms in front of her. "Oh please; as if you don't do it. You always talk to her when you think know ones watching," she pointed out.

"Don't tell anyone," Jack winked at her.

Martha scoffed and sat back down. It was at times like this that she really wanted to hit him. He was in his jerky mood again.

"So, guess what I just found out?" Jack said to her as he gave Alex a quick kiss on the head and then sat down at the table.

"Enlighten me," Martha rolled her eyes.

"Tash and Rob are getting in tomorrow," Jack answered with a smile.

Martha immediately glanced up at him. "Really?" she practically squealed.

"Yes," Jack laughed at her reaction. "Dad and Beth's wedding is only a week away. Also, Hayley and Scott are arriving in a couple of days and Kim and Kit are coming down from the city two days after that." he explained.

Martha grinned. "I can't wait. This is so exciting. Thanks for telling me," she said to Jack.

"Yes, well, since I was nice enough to tell you; I think you owe me a kiss," Jack smirked at her.

Martha smirked back. "In your dreams Jackie boy," she exclaimed.

"Thought I'd just try," Jack shrugged.

Martha stood up and pushed Alex's still full bowl towards him. "Now, have a taste of that. It's a new custard and totally delish," she lied.

"Are you sure? It looks kinda funky," Jack was unsure as he screwed his nose up and swished the spoon around the bowl.

"Would I lie to you?" Martha smiled innocently.

"No doubt about it," Jack nodded.

"Just eat it," Martha whacked him around the head.

"Fine," Jack said as he moved his head away from her as she swung at him again.

Martha grinned and rubbed her hands together gleefully as she watched Jack spoon the pureed food into his mind. One more second and he'd be spitting that out. But she was completely let down when Jack started to smile.

"It's not bad," Jack told her as he put more into his mouth.

Martha let out a loud huff and stomped off into her room. Jack started to laugh and as soon as Martha was out of sight, he spat the food back into the bowl in disgust. He looked over at Alex and tickled her chin.

"Don't tell her that I just did that," Jack whispered. "Even though that stuff was completely disgusting; your mother needed to be taught a lesson," he smiled.

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THE NEXT NIGHT

Martha lay in bed trying her hardest to get to sleep. It was late and she was really tired, but she had a really bad headache and her back was aching.

She let out a loud groan and sat up. She quietly opened her bedroom door and crept out into the kitchen. She flicked on the small lamp and then grabbed a clean glass from out of the cupboard. She poured herself some water and leant against the bench as she drank it.

Martha thought back over the days events. Tasha and Robbie had arrived in the afternoon with their daughter Ella. Martha had been so excited to see them. Because of her memory loss, it had only felt like a few weeks since she had last seen them, but in true fact it had been almost two years.

Martha was hyped at having Tasha back; even if it was only for two weeks. Sure she had Cassie and Matilda to confide in, but there were things that she didn't want to talk to them about; those things being Jack. Tasha was her best friend and she felt more comfortable talking to her about it.

"Can't sleep?" a voice from behind her asked.

Martha swung around to face Jack. She shrugged at him. "I've got a bit of a headache," she told him. "What about you?" she asked.

"I heard your door open. I thought you might have had another dream or something. Another memory," Jack said.

"Nope; just a headache. My backs a bit achy too," Martha told him as he came to stand next to her.

"Sit down. I'll give you a massage," Jack offered.

"What? No, it's fine," Martha smiled lightly as she looked away from him.

"Don't be stupid. Sit down," Jack said again as he grabbed her shoulders and pushed her down onto a stool.

Martha was stunned by his sudden movement and almost slid off the chair. She steadied herself and stood up straight. "No need to get rough," she muttered at him.

"Just do as you're told," Jack laughed as he pushed her hair over one shoulder and started to knead at her neck with his fingers.

Martha felt a tingle run up her spine. Whatever he was doing; it felt good. She closed her eyes and let her head roll back a little. She couldn't deny that his soft fingers on her skin felt amazing. So amazing that she found herself thinking what it would feel like if he placed those hands somewhere else on her body.

Realizing what she was thinking, Martha mentally kicked herself. "That's enough," she stammered as she moved away from him.

"I only just started," Jack laughed at her in surprise.

"Yeah, well I'm tired," Martha blushed.

"Kay," Jack smirked at her.

"Night," Martha spat out quickly and then rushed off to her room; leaving an amused Jack by himself.

"She totally wants me," Jack said out loud to himself.

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"I felt like a complete idiot Tash," Martha said into the phone the next morning.

As soon as Jack had left the house for a quick walk with Alex, Martha had immediately jumped on the phone to Tasha. She had needed to talk about what had happened the night before with Jack.

"So the massage turned you on then?" Tasha laughed at her through the phone after she had finished explaining.

"What? No way," Martha tried to fob it off. "Well, actually it kinda felt nice," she admitted.

"Just nice?" Tasha teased.

"Okay, it felt great," Martha said. "But it was totally wrong and it can't happen again. I don't like him that way and I don't want to feel those things about him. I can't feel those things about him, she trailed off.

"Who said you can't feel anything for him?" Tasha was confused.

"I did. The guy is a jerk and I'd have to be high if I wanted to be with him like that," Martha told her.

Tasha sighed out loud. "Mac, the guy is your husband. Maybe the feelings you had for him before the accident are starting to come through," she said.

"No……," Martha started, but stopped when she spotted Jack walking back through the front door with Alex. "I gotta go; you know who just walked in," she said and then quickly hang up.

"Who was that?" Jack smiled her.

"Santa," Martha said nervously.

"Huh?" Jack snorted with laughter.

Martha just shrugged at him and turned away.

"What's wrong?" Jack asked her. "You've been acting strange since this morning. Is it because of last night?" he wanted to know.

"No, I'm fine. And why would I care about last night?" Martha rolled her eyes at him.

"You know why," Jack frowned at her. "You liked it when I touched you last night, but for some reason you won't be honest with yourself," he added.

Martha tried to laugh it off. "You don't know anything. I barely know you; I didn't feel anything," she shook her head at him.

Jack scoffed in disbelief. "Your mind may not know me, but your heart and body does. And there was definitely a reaction when I touched you," he pointed out.

"I don't want to talk about it," Martha yelled at him. She was started to get frustrated. "You said you wouldn't do this. You said you wouldn't push me into feeling things that I don't remember. The more you keep pushing at me, the more I'm going to dislike you. So just stop it," she cried.

"I'm sorry," Jack apologized. "I wasn't trying to upset you. I just miss you and I want the old you back. You can't blame me for that," his voice broke.

"I don't. I just need space, coz I feel like I'm suffocating," Martha told him. "Now, if you don't mind; I'm taking Alex over to Irene's so we can see Tash and Ella," she grabbed Alex from Jack's arms and walked out without even saying goodbye.

Jack could feel his temper flaring. He grabbed Alex's bottle from off the table and pelted it across the room with a growl. It flew straight into a photo; knocking it from the mantle and onto the floor where the glass shattered into pieces. Jack cast his eyes over the mess on the tiles.

He bent down and picked up the photo; his wedding photo. He couldn't hold the pain in anymore. He let out a loud sob. He didn't know how much more of this he could take

Unbeknownst to Jack, Martha was still standing at the front door; watching him cry. She felt a pain in her heart. She felt guilty knowing that there wasn't anything she could do to make him feel better…………….

**NEXT CHAPTER: **It's Flashback Time Again!!!!!!!!!!

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	14. Chapter 14

**CHAPTER FOURTEEN**

Martha stood in the drive way trying to pick up the courage to go inside. She hadn't seen Jack since the incident earlier that morning and she was feeling a little nervous about seeing him. She also still had a deep guilt wracking her body. Seeing Jack breakdown had really made her see things from his perspective.

Martha had never really thought about his feelings in all this and how he was coping with it all. She had finally realized that this must be very hard for him. She couldn't remember him or the love they once shared and she knew that must have been hard for him to accept.

Martha gave herself a mental kick and finally trudged up to the house. Before she had come home, she had stopped in at the diner and picked up a cake. She had made sure that she had gotten Jack's favourite.

She got to the door and paused; taking a deep breath. She then pushed the door open and strode inside. Jack was sitting at the dining table reading the paper.

"I'm back," Martha said cheerfully as she moved across the room.

"Wow, you seem awfully happy all of sudden. Split personality much," Jack said as he looked up at Martha.

"My moods change quickly; you should know that by now," Martha shrugged.

"Whatever," Jack muttered under his breath. "Where's Alex?" he then asked.

"She's with Tash and Rob. They're going to bring her home later," Martha answered.

"Okay," Jack nodded and then looked back down at his paper; clearly not in the mood to talk.

Martha ignored this and continued with her cheery facade. "Anyways, I was just down at the diner and this cake just came fresh out of the oven. And when I think cake; I think Jack," she said in a sing song voice.

Jack let out a loud sigh and then looked up at her again. "Okay, what have you done? What do you want?" he questioned.

Martha gasped sarcastically. "Me, nothing," she told him as she raised her hand to her chest in surprise.

"Pull the other one," Jack scoffed.

"Okay, fine," Martha huffed as she leant back in her chair. "I feel bad about what happened earlier. I'm sorry I had a go at you; I was just really frustrated," she explained.

"It's fine. Don't worry about it," Jack fobbed it off with the wave of a hand.

Martha shook her head at him. "No, it's not fine. I was a complete cow," she sighed. "I've been so busy thinking about myself and my feelings that I haven't once stopped to think about how you're feeling. I never thought about how you were dealing with this and if you were coping or not. I've been really selfish; I know that now," she told him.

"That's not true," Jack started. "If you were selfish, you wouldn't be staying here and you wouldn't be taking care of Alex. If you were selfish, you would have abandoned her. All that matters is that Alex has her mother; that's the most important thing. And me; I'll deal. I may have a moment where I forget or worry about it every now and then, but I'm going okay. I'll be fine," he trailed off.

Martha knew he was lying. She knew that he wasn't fine. She had seen how upset he had gotten earlier. She wasn't about to let on that she saw him though. She didn't want to make him feel uncomfortable.

"Okay," Martha gave a small nod. "But if you ever want to talk about how you're feeling; you can talk to me. It might be a tad weird, but I'll listen. I know that it wasn't just my life that was altered; yours was too," she said softly.

Jack smiled across at her. "Thanks," he exclaimed.

"Great. Now lets cut the crap with all this soppy stuff; coz it's creeping me out," Martha laughed as she jumped up.

"Tell me about it," Jack agreed.

"I'll get us some plates and we can feed our faces with that cake. Yes?" Martha suggested as she grabbed a knife and some plates from the cupboard.

"Sounds good," Jack answered with a nod.

Martha turned and flashed a grin at Jack. She was glad that things weren't weird between them. She enjoyed their conversations and the playful tiffs they had. She'd hate for that to be ruined by stupid little fights about love and marriage. She liked having Jack as a friend and she was happy and content with the way things were at the moment. Besides, she didn't think she was in the right state of mine for it to be anything other than a friendship anyway. And for the sake of her sanity; that's the way she wanted it to stay.

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ONE WEEK LATER

"Today was so beautiful," Martha exclaimed as she walked into the lounge room and sat down next to Lucas and Jack on the couch. They were so transfixed by the replay of that day's footy game that they weren't even paying attention to what she was saying.

"Hello, anyone in there?" Martha waved her hand in front of Jack's face.

"Huh? Sorry, what did you say?" Jack finally looked at her.

"Your dads wedding; I just said it was beautiful," Martha told him.

Tony and Beth had married earlier that day and Martha thought that it was one of the most beautiful ceremonies she had ever seen. It was so great seeing two people finally getting another chance at love. Martha didn't think she had ever seen Beth look so happy.

"Yeah, great wedding," Jack nodded, but then once again turned his attention back to the TV.

"I bet if I were sitting here naked, you'd be paying attention to what I was saying," Martha muttered with a roll of the eyes.

This comment got Jack's attention within a second. "Take em off and lets see," Jack motioned at her clothes with a smirk.

"Not on your life mister," Martha scoffed at him as she stood up. "I'm getting a hot chocolate; anyone want one?" she asked as she walked into the kitchen.

"Yeah, thanks," Jack nodded as he followed her.

"I'm fine thanks," Luc gave his answer. "The game's finished now, so I might head off to bed. Night," he called softly as he wandered off to his room.

Martha quickly made the hot chocolates and sat down at the kitchen bench with Jack. "So, you had fun today?" Jack asked her.

"Yes," Martha smiled. "Today was great. It was so good seeing Beth so happy. It's really nice seeing them getting another chance at love. They both lost their first loves, but they got another chance. They've both got the chance to be happy again. It's beautiful," she exclaimed.

"When did you turn into a romantic," Jack teased her.

"Stop it," Martha laughed as she hit his arm.

Martha and Jack sat in silence for a few moments; sipping quietly on their hot drinks. Martha had a question right on the tip of her tongue and she was waiting for the right moment to ask it. She couldn't hold it in anymore.

"What was our wedding like?" she asked him.

Jack seemed a bit surprised by the question and paused for a moment. He snapped at of his stupor before finally answering the question. "It was beautiful," he exclaimed.

"Really," Martha smiled softly.

"Really," Jack nodded as he smiled back at her. "You know, you could always watch the wedding video if you're that curious," he the said.

"I know. I just don't think I'm ready yet," Martha sighed.

"That's understandable," Jack exclaimed. "Besides, you already know how it ends," he said.

"Yeah, a crazy lady blew it up," Martha tried not to laugh. "Maybe it's a good thing that I don't remember," she told Jack.

"Maybe," Jack agreed.

There was an uncomfortable silence for a few moments before Jack finally broke it. "Did Alex go down okay?" he asked Martha.

"Yeah, she went off to sleep straight away," she answered. "It was a big day for her. I hope she sleeps all the way through the night," Martha continued.

"She's actually been sleeping really well. While you were in hospital, I had a lot of trouble with her. I guess she knew that you weren't around," Jack started as he took another gulp of his hot drink. "But having you back these last few weeks; I've seen a change in her sleeping patterns. She's got her mum back," he said.

Martha nodded in understanding. "You know, I gotta admit that it's kinda nice knowing that somebody needs me and depends on me. I never knew being a mother would feel like this. It's an amazing feeling," she grinned.

"I know what you mean," Jack began. "Sometimes I wonder how something so beautiful and precious could be a part of me," he said.

"She is definitely precious," Martha exclaimed.

"Definitely," Jack agreed with a smile.

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THE NEXT NIGHT

Martha was getting ready for bed and had just finished taking a hot shower. She pulled the blankets down on her bed and fluffed her pillows a bit. Suddenly feeling a bit chilly in just her shorts and singlet, she opened up her wardrobe and took a look around; in hopes of finding a robe or something.

Finally at the end of the rack, she spotted a deep blue silk robe. She guessed it must have been something that she had brought in her missing years; as she had never seen it before. She grabbed the hanger and pulled it from the cupboard. She removed the gorgeous silk from its hanger and then slowly moved back to the bed.

Martha gently ran her fingers over the silk; taking in the softness of it. Suddenly from out of nowhere she felt a heavy feeling in the bottom of her stomach; and that's when it hit her.

_**FLASH**_

_Martha gently wrapped the silk robe around her naked body. She then raised her hand and pulled her long hair from its tie. It fell in soft curls down her back and around her shoulders._

_She smiled seductively to herself as she exited her room and made her way into the lounge room where her husband was working hard on some paper work at the dining room table. He had his back to her, so he hadn't spotted her yet._

_Martha reached out and quickly flicked off the light; leaving the room in total darkness._

"_It's just me Jack," Martha said in a soft voice._

"_I thought the power may have gone out or something," Jack called out to her as he shuffled around. _

_Martha smiled inwardly and moved across the darkened room until she reached the mantel. She picked up a packet of matches and quickly lit the candles that she had lined across it. Martha blew out the match and then turned to Jack; who was looking at her curiously._

"_What are you doing?" he smiled at her._

"_I think it's time for a break," Martha answered in a husky tone as she moved across the softly lit room; towards Jack._

"_What sort of break?" Jack started to play along._

_Martha didn't need words to explain to her husband what she meant. She placed her hands on his chest and leant up; kissing his lips softly. Jack immediately deepened the kiss; wrapping his arms around Martha's tiny waist and pulling her closer to him._

"_I'm thinking yes to this break you mentioned," Jack said against her lips._

_Martha pulled away from him and quickly removed his shirt from his body. She then moved away from him and pulled at the tie around her waist. She pushed the robe from her body; the soft silk slipping quickly over her hot skin and landing quietly on the floor around her. "I thought you would," she smiled seductively at him._

_Martha noticed Jack's eyes fill with lust as they roved over her naked body. "Come here," Jack whispered to her as he held his hand out for her to take._

"_I love you," Martha moaned softly as Jack claimed her lips in a hot kiss_

"_You are so amazing Martha," Jack said against her neck as he lavished it with sexy kisses_

"_Martha……………"_

_**END OF FLASH**_

"Martha…………

"Martha…………

A voice suddenly snapped Martha from her thoughts. She spun around quickly; only to find Jack standing at her door watching her curiously.

"Are you okay?" he asked her.

"I'm fine," Martha gasped for breath. She hadn't even realised that she had been holding her breath for so long.

"Are you sure?" Jack questioned her. "You look a bit flushed or something," he added.

"Yeah, I'm totally fine," she tried to smile at him. "Why don't you go to bed," she suggested.

"Okay," Jack was a bit hesitant. "Goodnight," he said and then turned away; making his way to his room.

Martha quickly closed the door and then threw herself onto the bed. "What the hell was that?" she said to herself in a hushed voice.

Martha's body was tingling all over; from her head to the tip of her toes. She looked at the robe still grasped tightly in her hands and then threw it onto the bed. Did I get that just from touching the robe, she thought to herself.

Martha raised her hand to her chest and she could feel her heart pounding hard against it. There was no doubt in her mind that that was memory. A memory in which she was about to make love to Jack. A memory which made her feel so alive.

Jack had made her feel like that. He made her feel alive. Martha wondered if that's what it felt like every time he touched her so intimately. She didn't think she'd ever felt something so powerful. It was only a memory, but it had felt so real.

It was only a memory, but it was a memory of which she craved more of……………..

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	15. Chapter 15

**NOTE: For anyone who wants to know; Martha has been out of the coma for just over a month now.**

**CHAPTER FIFTEEN**

Martha took her time getting dressed the next morning. She was extremely nervous about facing Jack. That memory that she had received the night before would not leave her mind. It was all she could think about and it was driving her crazy.

Martha looked in the mirror and checked herself over; smoothing her hair down. She let out a loud huff before slowly exiting her room. She walked out into the kitchen quietly and stood there for a few seconds; watching the morning ritual that Jack and Lucas had going.

Lucas was sitting at the table; with Alex sitting on his lap. He was sneakily giving her small pieces of toast while Jack has his back to them. Martha then cast her eyes onto Jack; immediately regretting it.

He was standing at the bench making up Alex's morning bottle. He had no shirt on and Martha could clearly see the muscles twitching in his back. Martha had a sudden urge to just walk over to him and run her hands all over his smooth body; just like she had in her memory.

"Oh geez," Martha groaned inwardly to herself as she rubbed her blushing face.

She mentally slapped herself for having such thoughts. This was not supposed to happen, Martha thought to herself. And if she had it her way, she wasn't going to let it go any further. She wasn't going to let herself lust after him and she definitely wasn't going to let herself fall for him. She wouldn't let it. She couldn't.

"Morning," a cheerful voice snapped her from her thoughts.

Martha looked up and found Jack and Lucas laughing at her. "What?" she asked.

"Off with the fairies this morning, are we?" Jack smirked at her.

"What? No," Martha spat out as she sat down next to Lucas at the table. "I was just thinking," she added.

"About?" Lucas asked.

Luckily Martha had a good answer for that. "Oh, just that stupid thing of Colleen's that I have to go to today," she groaned.

"Oh yes, the Italian slideshow," Jack exclaimed. "Luckily Luc and I have work today, so we don't have to go," he pointed out.

"Totally unfair if you ask me," Martha huffed. "If I have to watch the stupid darn thing, then so should everybody else," she stated.

Lucas and Jack once again laughed her. "You'll get over it," Jack shrugged.

"Yeah, after years of counseling," Martha muttered under her breath.

Jack laughed at her once more before sitting down and taking Alex from Lucas's arms so that he could feed her. A silence soon filled the room, so Martha took the time to grab a bowl and fill it with cereal.

A few more quiet minutes flew passed before Jack finally broke the silence. "So Martha, last night, was everything okay?" he asked.

Martha flicked her eyes up at him. "Huh?" she stuttered a little. "Nothing was wrong, I was fine," she told him.

Lucas, who had been engrossed in his newspaper, looked up curiously. "What happened last night?" he wanted to know.

"I just found Martha off in a world of her own. It took me a few tries to get her attention," Jack explained to Lucas.

"Another memory?" Lucas looked up hopefully.

"No," Martha shot out a little too quickly and loudly. "I mean, no. I would say if I got another memory," her voice softened a little.

Lucas and Jack looked at Martha in surprise after her sudden outburst. Martha was feeling a little uncomfortable, so she quickly changed the subject. "Oh gee, is that the time? Jack, you should be getting ready for work," she jumped up and took Alex from him. "I'm going to go give Alex a bath; I'll see you later tonight when you get home," she said before quickly walking off in the direction of the bathroom.

"What was that?" Lucas looked at Jack in amusement.

"Beats me," Jack shrugged.

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"Well, that was the un-fun of the millennium," Martha remarked as she and Tasha exited Sally's house; pushing the prams in front of them.

They'd just finished watching Colleen's slideshow from her trip to Italy and it had honestly been a waste of time.

"How great was that slideshow, huh?" Martha said sarcastically. "This is a tree. This is another tree. Oh look, this is the tree that I picked Italy's best apple from," she mocked Colleen's speech.

Tasha laughed at Martha's dead-on impression of Colleen. "Hey, don't forget that last tree," she pointed out to Martha with a giggle.

After a few more minutes of laughs and Colleen impersonations, the two girls finally arrived at the diner. They sat down at an outside table and placed an order with Lisa, the waitress.

"Okay, so spit it out," Tasha suddenly piped up.

"What are you talking about," confusion was written across Martha's face.

"You've been distracted all day. Something has happened since I saw you yesterday and now you're going to tell me what it is," Tasha smiled at her.

"Everything is fine," Martha shook her head at Tasha as she looked away

"I know when you're lying to me," Tasha exclaimed.

Martha sighed. Maybe she should tell Tasha about the memory. It would be good to speak to someone about it. "I remembered something last night," she said quietly across the table to her friend.

Tasha's eyes lit up like a Christmas tree. "Really," she practically squealed. "Tell me. What was it?" she grew even more excited.

Martha felt a blush rising up into her cheeks. There was no going back now. "It was about me and Jack," she told Tasha.

"What were you doing?" Tasha was growing impatient.

"You know?" Martha said softly and looked down at her hands.

Tasha shook her head. "No, I don't kn…… ," she started, but then stopped when she came to a realization. "Oh. Ohhh," Tasha laughed.

"Yeah, sex," Martha shook her head vigorously. "Out of all the things that have happened over the last three years; that's what I bloody remember. I'm like a dirty old man," she let out an exasperated sigh.

Tasha was still laughing but stopped when Martha gave her a dirty look. "So, you remembered sex with Jack," she stated.

"Well, we weren't actually doing it, but we were pretty much on our way there," Martha explained with the roll of her eyes.

"Martha, you should look at this as though it's a good thing," Tasha started. "It means that you're starting to remember things. And that's what is important," she said.

"Yeah, but why did it have to be about that? Why couldn't it have been something about Alex?" Martha was growing frustrated.

"Why don't you tell me what you're really upset about?" Tasha frowned at Martha.

Martha started to laugh. "I don't know what you're talking about," she fobbed Tasha off.

"You liked it, didn't you?" Tasha said knowingly. "You liked it and that's why you're upset," she stated.

"Tash, don't be stupid. I didn't like it," Martha told her.

"Yes, you did Mac. And that is why you're upset about it," Tasha started to say. "You keep saying that you don't want Jack and that you're better off as friends. Yes, that was easy for you to accept at first, but now you're starting to remember things. You're starting to remember Jack and the way he used to make you feel. And that memory reminded you of that. And now you're angry with yourself because you're starting to feel things that you said you wouldn't feel," she finished.

Martha knew Tasha was right. She was starting to feel things for him. She didn't want to, but it was something that she had no control over.

"Okay, so maybe I did like it a bit," Martha finally admitted. "After I remembered it, my body felt like it was on fire. I was tingling all over. The memory felt so real; like it had only just happened. It left me wanting more," she explained.

"Are you going to tell Jack?" Tasha wanted to know.

Martha shook her head. "No, I don't think so. Not right now anyway. I don't want to get his hopes up," she said. "Maybe a bit later on, I'll tell him. Maybe after I've remembered a few more things," she sighed.

"Okay. It's your decision," Tasha nodded. "But just remember what I said; look at this as though it's a good thing. You're starting to remember and that is what is most important," she exclaimed.

"Thanks for listening," Martha smiled at her friend. "I'm really going to miss you when you go back to Boston," she sniffed.

"I'm only a phone call away. So just pick up the phone whenever you need to talk," Tasha reached across the table; squeezing Martha hand. "But hey, there's still another week until we leave, so lets not get too upset just yet," she laughed.

Martha wiped at the stray tear that was falling down her cheek. "You're right. Let's leave the waterworks until the day you leave," she smiled.

The two girls pulled apart when they noticed Lisa coming back with their coffees. Their conversation soon changed to Tasha and Robbie's adventures in the U.S. Martha was glad to get her mind off Jack. She'd have plenty of time to think about him and her problems later.

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THE NEXT DAY

Martha had just finished washing up the dishes from lunch and was now heading over to the couch were Jack and Lucas were watching a footy match. She sat down on the floor and fell back onto a pillow. She was just getting comfortable when they heard a knock at the door.

"I'll get it," she sighed; knowing full well that a visitor at the door wouldn't gather the attention of Jack and Lucas; especially when there was a footy match on T.V.

Martha let out a loud huff when all she got was ignorance from the two young men. I really have to teach them two some manners, she thought to herself.

Martha threw on a smile and pulled open the door; only to have that smile fall from her face almost immediately. She couldn't believe who was standing there. She had honestly thought she would never see him again. But there he was; standing at her front door, looking back at her.

"What are you doing here?" was all she could say.

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**NEXT CHAPTER: Who's at the front door?**

**PLEASE REVIEW**

**Here's a small bit of info about my new fic. I will be starting it once 'Cry To Me' is finished.**

**Summer Bay is divided into three parts. Six main families make up these 3 groups. They are the Stewart/Holden's. The Macklin/Mackenzie's and the Nadar/Henderson's. One of these families will do anything they can to make sure they rule all of Summer Bay.**


	16. Chapter 16

**CHAPTER SIXTEEN**

"Hi Martha," he smiled at her.

"What are you doing here?" Martha asked once more.

She wasn't in the mood to exchange pleasantries. All she wanted to know was why he was there. She wanted to know why her biological father was standing on her doorstep.

"I'm here to see my daughter," Brett answered.

Martha looked at him in disbelief. "Daughter," she scoffed. "Is that what I am? Coz last time I checked I wasn't good enough to be your daughter," she yelled.

"What's going on?" Jack finally stood up from the chair and joined Martha at the door. Lucas watched from his seat in front of the TV.

"Jack, this is the man my mother had a baby with," Martha said sarcastically.

"You mean your father," Jack exclaimed.

"Whatever," Martha shrugged her shoulders. "If that's what you want to call him," she added.

"Please Martha; I'm not here to fight," Brett reassured her. "I know I hurt you very much, but I want to make up for that," he told her.

Martha rolled her eyes. "How many times have I heard that?" she laughed. She had no reason to believe anything he said. "Tell me why I should believe anything that comes from your great trap," she snapped.

Jack placed a hand on Martha's shoulder; trying to calm her down. "Don't be too loud, you'll wake Alex," he pointed out to her.

Martha shook away from Jack's grasp and kept on glaring at her father. "Well," she tapped her foot impatiently on the floor.

"I've changed Martha. I'm not the person I used to be," Brett promised her.

Martha opened her mouth to speak, but was unsure of what to say. She felt Jack's arm rest on her shoulder again, so she turned to look at him. "Maybe we should let him in. Just to hear what he has to say," Jack suggested.

Martha screwed her face up at the suggestion. "No," she hissed at him. "I don't think it's a good idea," she told him.

"What's the harm in letting him in for five minutes? Besides, he's your father," Jack exclaimed.

"Fine," Martha huffed. She then turned back to look at her father. "You've got five minutes," she sighed.

"Thank you," Brett smiled gratefully as he stepped inside. He then looked at Jack and stuck his hand out. "You must be Martha's husband," he said.

"Jack Holden," Jack nodded as he shook Brett's hand. "That's my brother Lucas," he then pointed to his brother who was still sitting on the couch.

"Hey," Lucas nodded. Brett nodded back in return.

Martha groaned inwardly. She didn't like this. She didn't want Brett in her house trying to suck up. He always had some secret agenda and no matter how many times he said he'd changed; Martha would never believe it. A leopard could never change its spots.

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"So, you had better start talking, coz I've got things to do," Martha said as she passed some coffees around the table.

Jack and Lucas had joined Martha and Brett at the dining table; as they were also very interested in what Brett had to say. Lucas was more interested in the fact that he was sitting at a table with 'The' Brett Macklin; owner of Macklin Corp. Well ex owner; as Macklin Corp went bust after Brett was sent to prison.

"Actually, first up I want to know when you got out of the slammer," Martha asked bluntly. "You did screw around a lot of people and well, let's be honest, you did try to kill Josie Russell," she added.

Brett let out a loud sigh. "I've been out for three months now; I'm out on good behavior. I suppose it also helped that the judge went pretty light on me," he explained.

Martha snorted into her drink. "Gee, I wonder if money had anything to do with that," she muttered.

"Look, I'm not here to talk about that. I'm here to talk about you," Brett frowned. "I heard about your accident, and that's why I'm here; to make sure that you're doing okay," he told her.

"Who told you?" Martha was curious.

"I ran into Morag one day in the city. She'd informed me that you were in a coma," Brett started to explain. "Truth is; I even came and visited you a few times while you were in hospital," he said.

"Did you know about this?" Martha turned her gaze onto Jack.

"No," Jack answered. "Today is the first time we've met," he said honestly.

"Nobody knew I was there. I always went late of a night; when I knew you wouldn't have any visitors," Brett began. "I knew I'd get ripped into if I ran into your grandfather or your cousin; Ric. I knew it would be best if I kept myself scarce," he sighed as he took a sip of his coffee.

"How thoughtful," Martha muttered.

"The next time I went back to the hospital, you were gone. You'd woken up," Brett said. "A nurse there also informed me of your memory loss," he added.

"And it's taken you this long to come and see me," Martha said harshly. "Gosh, don't I feel special," she sarcastically.

"I was a coward. I didn't have enough guts to come and see you, so I decided to leave it for a while. But I couldn't wait any longer; I needed to see you and my granddaughter," Brett looked at her with hope in his eyes as he mentioned Alex.

"You know about Alex?" Jack finally piped up.

"Yes," Brett nodded.

"How?" Martha wanted to know. If she found out that he had been spying on her there would be trouble.

Brett swallowed the lump that was forming in his throat and started to answer. "Ruth sent a package to the prison just after Alex was born. She sent some photo's of her and even some photos from your wedding," he admitted.

Martha couldn't believe that her own mother would go behind her back like that. "I think me and mother need to have a little chat," she remarked.

"Look Martha; being in prison changed me. I know now that I made a lot of mistakes and I want to make up for all those mistakes. If I could redo my life then I would have stayed with your mother and she never would have had to give you up for adoption," Brett tried to touch Martha's hand, but she quickly pulled it away. "I just want to get the chance to know you and my granddaughter. You are the only child I've got and the only one I'll ever have. I don't want you to despise me for the rest of your life," he said softly.

Martha closed her eyes and thought hard. She couldn't do this right now. She couldn't make a decision about this straight away. "I need some time to think. I'm in a really difficult spot in my life right now. I'm still trying to remember who I am and what I want. I don't need all this extra stuff weighing on my shoulders. I need you to understand that I need some time," she explained to her father.

"I understand completely," Brett nodded as he stood up. "I'll give you all the time you need. I'll be staying at The Sands; so give me a call, anytime you want," he told her.

Martha didn't say anything. She just nodded at him.

Jack stood and walked Brett to the door; saying a quick goodbye. He then walked back over to the table and sat down again. "That wasn't so bad, was it?" he said to Martha.

Martha shrugged. "I guess not," she answered.

She let out a loud sigh and then turned her head to face Lucas. He was still sitting there in a silence. "What's wrong with you?" she asked.

"I don't get it," Lucas threw his hands up in the air as he started to rant. "I'm actually really disappointed. I've been reading about him and Macklin Corp for years now and they always made him out to be this big tyrant," he was flabbergasted.

"Tyrant?" Martha laughed.

"The guy is boring. He wasn't even wearing a suit," he muttered to himself. He then stood up and excused himself from the table. "I need to be alone," he hung his head low.

Jack and Martha broke into a fit of laughter. "What is up with him?" Martha giggled.

"He likes shiny pretty things," Jack laughed "And then gets disappointed when they aren't as shiny or as pretty as he had expected," he added.

"Strange boy," Martha pointed out.

"Hmm," Jack nodded in agreement.

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**NEXT CHAPTER: More memories for Martha. And is Brett being totally honest with Martha, or is he hiding something?**

**PLEASE REVIWEW**


	17. Chapter 17

**CHAPTER SEVENTEEN**

Martha hummed softly to herself as she carried in the shopping bags; dumping them up on the kitchen bench.

"That was quick," Jack exclaimed as he walked out from the hallway.

"I like to get things done quickly," Martha said to him. "No use in beating around the bush," she remarked.

Martha had just been down to the supermarket and had picked up a few groceries. She had gone by herself as she knew that it would get done quicker if she went without Miss Piggy and Wilbur; otherwise known as Jack and Lucas. When it came to food, those two guys were pigs.

"I just hope you got everything. You know how Lucas is without his co…..," Jack started but Martha cut him off.

"Yes Jack, I got Lucas's coco pops," Martha groaned. "I'm telling you right now; they are the things that get him so hyperactive and wound up at times. I think we need to wean him off them," she ranted.

"Good luck with that," Jack muttered under his breath as he started to help Martha pack the groceries away.

"Where is Lucas by the way?" Martha then asked.

"He's taken Joey for a walk down to the beach," Jack answered.

The next few minutes flew by in silence as the rest of the items were put away into cupboards. Martha looked up just in time to find Jack watching her. She didn't like it. It made her feel uncomfortable. Ever since she'd remembered their sexual antics together, she had been feeling a little strange around him.

Whenever she found him watching her, she wondered what he was thinking about. Was he thinking about ripping her clothes off? Was he picturing her naked? Was he desperately wishing that he could make love to her? It drove Martha insane. She hadn't been able to look him directly in the eye since.

There was also the fact that Martha wouldn't mind if he threw her down and made love to her right there on the spot. Of course she wasn't about to admit that to anyone. She didn't even want to admit it to herself for god's sakes. She just wanted to forget about him and any sexual encounters from the past.

Martha turned around; still feeling Jack's eyes on her. Frustrated; she spun back around to face him. "What?" she huffed at him.

"I need to tell you something," Jack said in a quiet.

"What have you done?" Martha said to him; noticing the guilty look on his face.

"Brett called. He asked if he could come over," Jack started. "I said yes. He should be here in about five minutes," he finished.

"You what?" Martha yelled. "Are you insane? I don't want to see him yet. It's only been three days. I haven't made a decision about what I want yet. Which by the way; is heading more towards the direction of kicking his ass to the curb," she was beginning to rant.

"I'm sorry," Jack apologized with a shrug.

"Sorry my ass," Martha growled. "You are so not sorry. You had better run, coz I am going to beat you down," she moved towards him but was interrupted by a knock at the door. "This is so not over," she pointed her finger at Jack

He smiled smugly at her before moving towards the door and answering it. Of course, it was the last person she wanted to see. Brett.

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"So you still haven't decided if you want us to be a part of each others lives?" Brett frowned at Martha.

"No, I haven't," Martha sighed in annoyance. "And the more you nag me about it; the longer I'll take," she said through gritted teeth.

"Okay, I'm sorry," Brett held his hands up in defense. "Can I at least see Alexandria?" he pleaded with his eyes.

"No," Martha stood her ground.

"Why not?" Brett asked; clearly upset.

"She's young. She doesn't need new faces around confusing her," Martha explained. "Besides, she's not here. And no; I'm not telling you were she is. I know what you're like; you go looking for a sneak peak," she said, starting to get wound up.

Brett let out a loud sigh. "Look, I can see that me being here is upsetting you. I'll come back tomorrow. Bye Jack," he called out and quickly left before Martha could tell him not to bother coming back until she called him.

"Am I still in trouble?" Jack pouted as he walked up behind her.

Martha whipped around to face him. "Hell yes," she shrieked.

"How bouts I lean over the chair and you beat me with my baton," Jack suggested with a laugh.

"You'd love that, wouldn't you?" Martha smirked. "But as tempting as it is; coz believe me, I'd love to beat on you. But yeah, thanks, but no thanks. I'm actually gonna go for a walk. I need to clear my head and think about a few things," she told Jack.

"Where are you going?" Jack wanted to know.

Martha shrugged. "Where ever my heart and mind leads me," she smiled weakly before grabbing her phone and walking out the door.

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Martha had no idea where she was going. All she knew was that nagging feeling in her gut was telling her to go this way. She'd never been this far before and she had no idea where it led too.

Eventually she came to a cliff edge. She let out a loud gasp and stepped back. God, she hated heights. She turned around and started to walk back in the direction that she came. But still, there was something inside of her telling her to go back.

As much as she hated heights, she knew her gut instinct would get the better of her. She carefully sat down on the edge and dropped down to the cliff face below. It was a wide area that overlooked the water and in the distance she could see the beach.

Martha felt as though she had been there before, but she just couldn't remember when. She walked right over to the edge and sat down. She looked over into the water and took in the marvelous view. It was so beautiful up there.

Martha sat there for about half an hour, trying to come to a decision about Brett. In the end, she decided that it would be best if they stayed out of each others lives. Martha had too much going on in her life right now. She still had so much to overcome and she didn't need her father there making things more confusing for her.

She already had one person in her life that made things confusing for her. Jack. And he was someone who wasn't going to go away, no matter how hard she tried. Not that she wanted him to go away. She had a soft spot for him; that much she knew. There was also the fact that he was Alex's father, so she wouldn't be getting rid of him anytime soon.

"Jack, Jack, Jack. You're not even here and you're driving me crazy," Martha laughed out loud to herself.

Martha stood up and brushed the dirt away from her jeans before starting to walk away from the edge. She turned around and took another look out into the ocean. She really liked it there; she'd definitely come back.

She'd only taken a few steps when something flashed through her mind.

_**FLASHBACK**_

"_**What? You want me to jump through burning hoops on the way down?" Martha smirked at Jack.**_

**_Jack smiled sweetly at her before moving forward and capturing her lips in a soft kiss. They slowly pulled away; staring deep into each others eyes. Martha let a tiny smile escape her lips before moving back towards Jack; connecting their lips once more in a kiss. This one much more passionate._**

_**END OF FLASH**_

Martha let out a deep breath; one that she didn't even realise she was holding in. Martha looked around her, once more, taking in her surroundings.

That kiss; it happened there. She remembered it. Martha lifted her fingers and ran them softly across her lips. She remembered how sweet it was and how soft and gentle Jack had been. She remembered it as though it was just yesterday.

Their first kiss.

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**NEXT CHAPTER: Martha discovers what Brett is hiding.**

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	18. Chapter 18

**CHAPTER EIGHTEEN**

Martha walked back to her place in a bit of a daze. Remembering her first kiss with Jack had pretty much knocked her for a six. She could remember exactly what she was feeling at the time, and how it felt when he was kissing her. It felt like magic.

Martha was walking up the driveway when she heard a female voice calling out to her. She spun around to find Cassie and Matilda walking towards her.

"Hey," Martha managed a smile. She still wasn't quite with the program. "How's it going?" she asked them.

"Good," Cassie nodded.

"We're about to go to the beach for a swim; do you want to come?" Matilda then asked.

Martha shook her head. "No, but thanks for asking me. I've actually got some things to do," she answered whilst looking away into thin air.

"Are you okay?" Cassie asked; noticing Martha's dazed state.

"Huh? Oh yeah," Martha nodded a little too enthusiastically. "I'm totally fine," she smiled.

"She's not fine," Matilda said to Cassie as they looked at each other.

"Not fine," Cassie agreed before looking back at Martha. "What's going on? You know you can tell us," she said.

Martha sighed loudly. May aswell tell them. "Can you two keep a secret?" she questioned them.

Cassie and Matilda looked at each other; giggling like two little schoolgirls. "No," they answered simply.

"I'll take that as a yes," Martha laughed at them.

"Of course it's a yes," Cassie smiled. "Now tell us what's going on," she pushed.

Martha rubbed her face; she was nervous. "I just went for a walk up to the cliffs, and I kind of remembered something," she spat out.

"Oh my god; what was it?" Matilda said desperately.

"My first kiss with Jack," Martha exclaimed with a soft voice. "Honestly, it's more like the second memory I've had of me and Jack together," she told them.

"Have you told Jack?" Matilda wanted to know.

"No," Martha shook her head. "I can't. Not yet anyway. All this crap with my dad and now this; it's really driving me crazy. Besides, it doesn't really change anything. I still don't remember the love we shared, so these two memories are pretty pointless. And I don't want Jack getting his hopes up," she explained.

"I guess we can't really push you into telling him," Cassie sighed.

"I will tell him; but only when I'm ready too," Martha pointed out.

Which will probably be never, Martha told herself truthfully.

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"You're being serious aren't you?" Brett looked at Martha in distress.

"I'm sorry. But that's just the way it's gotta be," Martha told him.

She had finally told him that there was no place in her life for him right now. She didn't like telling him that, but it was for the best.

"Martha this is ridiculous. I'm your father for god's sakes," Brett tried to reason with her.

"I've made up my mind and I'm not changing it," Martha stood her ground. "Now, I think it would be best if you left," she said.

"No," Brett was upset.

"If Martha has asked you to leave, then I think you should do as she says," Jack entered the conversation.

"Stay out of this," Brett snapped at Jack.

"Get out," Martha yelled at her father. "You do not come into my house and speak like that, okay?" she started to push him towards the door.

"Martha please, I want to see my granddaughter," Brett begged as he grabbed a hold of Martha's wrist; gripping it tightly with his fingers.

"Let me go, you're hurting me," Martha's voice was starting to grow louder.

Brett wouldn't budge. "Please don't do this Martha. Don't push me away," his grip was growing even stronger.

"Let go," Martha screamed as she wriggled away from his grasp.

By now, Jack was seething. He moved towards Brett and grabbed him by the shirt. "You ever touch her like that again; I'll have you arrested and you'll be thrown straight back into that prison cell. Got it," he growled and then pushed him outside; slamming the door in his face.

He turned around to look at Martha; who was gently rubbing her wrists. "You okay?" he asked her.

Martha nodded. "Yeah, thanks for getting rid of him for me," she smiled gratefully.

"Not worry about it," Jack waved it off. "Nobody should ever touch you like that. They don't have a right too," he exclaimed.

"I know. But thanks again," Martha nodded in appreciation.

"If he comes around hassling you again, just call someone ok?" Jack then told her.

"Yeah, I will," Martha raised her hand to her head and started kneading softly at it. She had a headache coming on.

"Something about this doesn't feel right," Martha suddenly said. She finally noticed that she had a horrible feeling in the pit of her stomach.

"What do you mean?" Jack was curious.

"I don't know," Martha was confused. "It was something about the way he just grabbed me. Kind of like it's happened before," she explained.

Jack opened his mouth to speak but Martha cut him off with a laugh. "You know what? I'm being stupid; just forget I even said anything. It's crazy. I probably just need to lay down," she told him.

"Um, okay. I'll wake you up when dinners ready," Jack watched her carefully as she trudged of towards her room.

Martha closed her door and sat down on her bed. She didn't like this feeling she was getting. She didn't like it one bit.

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Martha sat up quickly; breathing heavy after the dream she had just had. She rubbed at her eyes; wiping the sleep away. She started to cry. How could he do it? He was a liar. He was a gutless coward.

Martha jumped up out of bed and ran out into the kitchen, where Jack was getting breakfast ready for himself.

"I remember," Martha cried to him.

"What's wrong?" Jack rushed up to Martha. He couldn't stand seeing her like this.

"It was Brett. He was here and he got angry and grabbed me," Martha was stuttering.

"Martha, what are you talking about?" Jack was beginning to worry.

"Yesterday, when I said I felt as though Brett had grabbed me like that before," Martha began to explain. "It's because he did Jack," she exclaimed.

"What?" Jack was more than confused.

"He's the reason I don't' remember. He was here the day of the accident. He did this to me," Martha ranted.

Jack was still trying to put together everything Martha was saying, but he was having trouble as Martha was starting to speak in riddles. But then she said it. The one thing he did understand.

"He got angry. He's the one who put me in a coma………………….."

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	19. Chapter 19

**CHAPTER NINETEEN**

"Okay, so I need you to tell me everything that you remember," McGrath said to Martha as he sat down across from her in the interview room.

She hated doing this. She'd already been through all this with Jack. She didn't want to talk about it anymore. She didn't want to think about the fact that her father was the one who had hurt her. She couldn't believe that he would do something like that to his own child. She hated him; now more than ever before.

"Come on Martha. I can't do anything about this if you don't tell me anything," McGrath said to her.

"Okay," Martha nodded. She let out a loud sigh before starting. "I'd just put Alex down for a nap, I think. After that, I walked out into the lounge room and Brett was just standing there; at the front door. I immediately got angry with him; telling him that he had no right to just waltz back into my life like that. I told him to leave, but he just ignored me," she trailed off.

"Keep going," McGrath urged her on.

"Then he said that he'd heard that I'd had a baby. He begged me to let him see Alex, but I wouldn't allow it, and then he got really upset. I tried to push him out the door, but he grabbed onto my arm," Martha was starting to get upset. "When he realized he was hurting me, he stopped. I pushed him out the door and he left," she continued.

McGrath seemed a bit puzzled. "If he left then how do you know that he was the one who hurt you?" he questioned her.

"Because a few minutes later he came back," Martha answered. "I heard a knock on the door, but then after that it all went blurry," she exclaimed.

"What do you mean it all went blurry?" McGrath asked.

"It's kind of strange," Martha was feeling frustrated. "I think my mind is still trying to block it out, coz after that all I can remember is seeing blurry outlines of things and our voices were muffled, so I can't remember what we were saying. But I was really scared, and then I remember falling and hitting my head on the table as I went down. Everything went dark after that," she finally finished her story.

McGrath nodded as he jotted things down on a piece of paper. "That's all you remember?" he needed to make sure he had heard everything.

"Yes. That's it," Martha rubbed her temple.

"May I ask you a question?' McGrath looked up at Martha. "But please don't get upset," he added.

"Sure," Martha was curious.

"Are you absolutely sure it was your father who you saw the second time? I need you to be absolutely sure that it was him, because your father's lawyers, they will argue with the fact that you don't vividly remember the attack," McGrath started. "You still don't remember exactly what happen. You still don't remember the full details of the attack. Brett's lawyers will argue that it could be possible that it was another person and not your father. Do you understand what I'm saying?" he explained.

"Of course I understand. I'm not a child," Martha snapped at him. "And yes, I'm sure it was him. I may not remember the actual attack clearly, but I know it was him. I can just feel it. I feel it in my gut," she told him.

"That's good enough for me," McGrath nodded as he stood up. "That should be all for now. I'll speak to you again, once I've finished the interview with your father," he said.

"Thanks," Martha smiled as she too stood to up and followed him out into the main foyer of the police station.

Jack jumped up as soon as he spotted Martha. "Is everything okay?" he asked.

"Yep, it's fine," Martha assured him. "Can we go home now?" she wanted to know.

"Sure," Jack nodded. He placed a hand on the small of her back and guided her towards the front door. But suddenly their exit was blocked.

Two officers came in; leading in Brett, who was restrained with handcuffs. "Martha, please," Brett begged at her.

Martha was having none of it. "How could you?" she spat out. "I'm your daughter; you're supposed to love me. How could you do that to me? How could you just leave me there like that? You could have killed me," she started to cry.

"I admit that I was there that day. But I did not hurt you. I did not lay a hand on you in an improper way; I swear to you. I would never harm you like that," Brett tried to tell her.

"I'm sick of all your lies," Martha cried. "You've done the unthinkable and I'll never forgive you. I never want to see you again. And there is absolutely no way that I will let you see Alex now. Not now, not ever," she snapped. She then grabbed a hold of Jack's arm and dragged him out the front door.

"Are you okay?" Jack asked in a soft voice.

"I don't want to talk okay," Martha all but whispered as a tear rolled down her cheek.

"Okay," Jack nodded in understanding.

He lead her to the car; opening the door for her. No words were spoken on the trip home and Martha went straight to her room as soon as she got home.

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"Has she come out of her room yet?" Lucas asked Jack.

"No," Jack shook his head. "She must be taking this really hard," he told his brother.

"I would be too," Lucas started. "If I found out that my father had hurt me like that; I'd be really upset," he added.

"Well, we don't have to worry about anything like that, because dad would never do something like that to us," Jack remarked. "Speaking of dad; do you think you could take Alex over to his place? He's offered to look after her for the afternoon," he said.

"Sure," Lucas nodded. "I have to go and see Mattie anyway. Apparently she's got something really important to tell me," he grinned.

"Why are you smiling? It could be something bad. Maybe she's going to dump you," Jack teased.

Lucas shrugged. "I think it might just be some gossip. Nothing too important," he exclaimed. "Seriously, Mattie and Cassie are going to become the next Colleen Smart and Madge Wilkins. Those two have so much trouble keeping things to themselves," he laughed.

"Well if it's some good goss, you know you can always tell me," Jack said. "You know; just incase you really need to talk about it," he hinted.

Lucas shoved Jack. "You're such a girl," he tormented as he picked up Alex. "Come on Joey; let's go and see poppy," he cooed as he picked up Alex's change bag.

"See you later loser," Jack waved goodbye.

"You're the loser," Lucas stated as he walked out the front door.

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Martha lay in on her bed; staring up at the ceiling. She'd been lying in the same position for the last two hours; thinking over the same stupid things.

Brett; she hated him. She'd never forgive him for what he had done. She'd never forgive and she'd never forget. He'd treated her as though she was nothing; unimportant. He'd left her to die; left her to die like a mangy animal. What kind of human being could do that to another person? And especially to a person who was their own flesh and blood.

Martha now knew for sure that he never cared about her. She'd always known, but now she knew for sure. And she knew that he'd never change.

Martha wished that she wasn't upset about it, because she knew that her father didn't deserve her tears. She was so much better than him and she deserved more than just some selfish bastard as a father.

It was at times like this that she was really thankful for her adopted father. He loved her as though she was his own; no questions asked. So why couldn't Brett be like that? Why couldn't he love her unconditionally?

Martha felt a new tear roll down her cheek. A strangled sob escaped from her lips as she rolled over and pushed her face into her pillow. As more tears started to fall, she heard a noise coming from the door. She knew immediately that it was Jack.

She raised her head a little and looked at him. He was worried for her; she could tell by the look on his face. Martha didn't know why, but seeing Jack upset for her, only made her feel even worse. Sob's started to wrack her body as she looked away from Jack's caring eyes. Jack did the only thing he could do; he walked closer to the bed and slipped in beside her.

Martha couldn't push him away. She didn't want too. She rolled towards him and with a small cry; she wrapped her arms around him. Jack placed a hand on her back and gathered her to him; holding her close.

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	20. Chapter 20

**CHAPTER TWENTY**

Martha peeked her head around the corner; checking to see if Jack was up yet. She let out a sigh of relief when he was no where to be seen. She relaxed a bit and walked out into the kitchen; flicking the kettle on. She needed some coffee. Hopefully it would sort her head out a bit.

Martha sat down on a stool and waited patiently for the kettle to boil. After a few minutes it started to whistle; letting her know that the water was boiled. She grabbed a mug from out of the cupboard and filled it with the required condiments.

As she did so, she thought back to the day before. She'd let her guard down; with Jack that is. She'd been upset about her father's lies and betrayal and she had let Jack comfort her. He had made her feel so safe and calm; so much so that she had fallen asleep in his arms. As much as she hated to admit it; she liked it. She had liked it so much that when later on that evening she had woken up and found Jack gone; she was upset. Truthfully; she wanted to know what it would feel like to wake up in his arms. Unfortunately though; that didn't happen.

And now, the next morning; she felt like an idiot. Jack had seen her in one of her most vulnerable states and she felt embarrassed. So far, she had managed to keep her stone wall up. But now it just seemed to be crashing down all around her. The feelings she was feeling were growing stronger. Her feelings for him were growing stronger and there was nothing she could do to stop it.

"Morning," a voice startled Martha from her thoughts.

Martha spun around quickly; almost spilling the hot water on her hand. She came face to face with Jack. "Oh, hey. Good morning," she smiled politely before turning back around to stir her coffee. "Do you want a coffee?" she offered.

"Thanks," Jack sat down and rubbed at his tired eyes. "So, how are you feeling today?" he then asked.

"I'm okay," Martha answered. "I just want to forget that my father ever existed. I don't want to think about it anymore," she told Jack.

"Well, if you do want to talk about it; you can talk to me. You know that right?" Jack said.

"Yeah, I know," Martha smiled. "Listen, about yesterday arvo; thanks for being there for me. I must have looked like a blubbering mess. But um, thanks for comforting me or whatever," she started to shake her head as she got flustered.

Jack laughed at her. "Its fine," he assured her. "Besides, you're my wife; I'm supposed to comfort you. Oh and hey, don't take that as a form of me hitting on you. I hated seeing you upset, and I just wanted to make sure you were okay. I actually thought you'd wake up this morning and start accusing me of taking advantage of you while you were in a vulnerable state or something," he said.

"Were you trying to take advantage of me?" Martha smirked at him.

"What? No," Jack stammered as his cheeks started to flush.

Martha took her turn to laugh at him. "I know; I'm just kidding. I know you were just helping me; it's fine," she exclaimed.

"Right," Jack nodded.

Martha was about to sit down when she heard a cry coming from Alex's room. "She's awake; I'll go get her," she offered.

"How about I make us some pancakes for breakfast," Jack offered before Martha was out of sight.

"Sounds great," Martha called back to him as she walked down the hall.

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Jack strolled along the beach; holding Alex safely in his arms. He was in a happy mood today. He finally felt as though things were going back to normal. Of course Martha still didn't remember their life together; but now, Jack was starting to accept it. There was use in feeling sorry for himself. He still had Martha in his life and there was still a chance that he could win Martha's love. He knew it would be a much easier task if Martha remembered just a few little things about him. But like he'd said; there was no use in feeling sorry for himself.

In the distance, Jack spotted Lucas sitting by himself. "There's uncle Luc; let's go and say hi," he grinned at Alex.

Alex responded by smiling up at her father. Jack kissed her cheek. He loved that smile of hers. It reminded him of Martha's.

"Hey little brother," Jack called out as he approached Lucas.

Lucas looked up quickly; surprised to see Jack. "Jack. Hey," he tried to smile. "Hey," he said again while scratching his head.

"You look as though you've just been caught with your hand in a cookie jar," Jack laughed. "Wait; did you get caught with your hand in the cookie jar? Did Martha beat you down?" he teased.

"What? No," Lucas shook his head. "I haven't even seen Martha today," he added.

"What's wrong then?" Jack asked as he sat down on the sand; sitting Alex on his knee.

"Nothing is wrong," Lucas lied. "Why would you think something was wrong?" he said a little too quickly.

"I can tell by the look on your face," Jack pointed out. "Oh no; Mattie dumped you, didn't she?" he frowned.

"No, she didn't," Lucas assured him.

Jack knew something was wrong. His brother was acting weird and he didn't like it. "Has this got anything to do with the conversation you had with her yesterday?" he questioned.

"No Jack," Lucas snapped. "Can you just leave it please; stop asking me about it," he yelled as he stood up and started to walk away.

"Hey Luc, come on," Jack called out after him.

"I have to go to work," Lucas called back.

Jack looked down at Alex who was burying her hand in the sand. "That was weird," he shrugged at her.

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Lucas felt like a complete jerk. He was hiding some very important information from his brother; Information that Jack should know about. Lucas hated lying to him, but he knew it wasn't his place to say anything.

Martha had to tell Jack herself. She had to tell him that she remembered him; remembered their love. And she had to do it soon. If she didn't, then Lucas wouldn't have any other choice. He'd tell Jack. He'd tell his brother the news he had been waiting to hear.

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	21. Chapter 21

**CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE**

It was a Sunday afternoon; yet another week had slipped by quickly. Everything had gone back to the way it had been before the incident with Brett. Martha had gotten word that her father had been transferred to a small prison in the city; Martha hoped that she didn't have to see him again.

Things with Jack were going okay. The few memories that she had gotten about him had been pushed to the back of her mind. She tried not to think about them as she knew it would complicate matters.

There was one thing that she had put down as odd. And that was Lucas attitude towards her. He wasn't being cruel or anything like that, but he was acting weird around her. Sometimes she would find him watching her closely, and he was always on her case about her memory. He was always asking if she had remembered anything else lately. It was like he wouldn't take no for an answer. It was really starting to bug her.

Today, Martha was working a shift at Noah's bar. She offered to take her grandfather's afternoon shift. He was happy to accept, as he wanted to spend the afternoon with Alex. Martha had noticed the close bond that he had seemed to have with Alex. She thought it was sweet.

Martha looked up us a pretty blonde girl walked up to the bar. "Can I just grab an orange juice, please," she asked.

"Sure," Martha smiled as she started to pour the drink for her. She handed her the drink and quickly deposited the money into the register.

"So, I was wondering, is there anything interesting to do in this town?" the girl asked Martha. "My brother and I are here on holiday for a few weeks, and we're trying to find some interesting things to do," she explained.

Martha laughed. "This is a small town, so there isn't a great deal of things to do," she started. "Usually we have to make our own fun. During the day, the best place to be is the beach; obviously. My grandfather owns a boat called The Blaxland; he uses it to take tours around The Bay. You could always try that," Martha suggested.

"That sounds great, thank you," the girl smiled in appreciation. "I'm Joy, by the way," she then said as she sat down on a stool and took a sip of her drink.

"I'm Martha; it's nice to meet you," Martha shook her hand. "Anything else you need to know about Summer Bay; just ask me," she added.

"Well, since you offered; what's the night life like?" Joy asked.

"Actually, I'm probably not the right person to ask about that; I have a nine month old daughter, so I don't get out much," Martha grinned. "But, a lot of people come here of a night time; we convert the place into a bar after five pm. There are some really nice restaurants down by the water, and you might catch the occasional bonfire down on the beach. Speaking of; there's going to be one next Saturday night; you should go," she explained.

"I think I will, but now to the most important question. The guys; what are they like?" Joy smiled.

Martha laughed. She liked this girl. She seemed really nice. "They're not bad," she admitted. "Lots of hot surfie types," she pointed out.

"I'll have to get you to introduce me to some of them," Joy suggested.

Martha nodded and went to speak again, but stopped when she got a sudden idea. "How do you feel about a blind date?" she asked Joy.

"Depends on the guy I guess," Joy shrugged.

"He's great. He's a cop. Very cute," Martha trailed off. "His name is Jack and he really needs to get out. He needs some fun in his life," she explained.

"Okay; I'll do it. But only if you do something for me," Joy agreed.

"What is it?" Martha was curious.

Joy started to grin. "You go out on a date with my brother," she said.

Martha thought about it for a minute. Maybe it would be a good idea; just to take her mind off of Jack. Anything to take her mind off of Jack.

"Sure, why not," Martha nodded.

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Later that evening when Martha got home, she strolled straight up to Jack and sat down at the table across for him. She smiled at him.

"I need you to do something for me," she said to him.

"Is it illegal?" Jack looked up from his paperwork.

"No, of course not" Martha laughed. "I met this girl at Noah's today and she was really nice. She's in town for a couple of weeks with he brother," she told him.

"And the point to this story is…………….," Jack trailed off.

Martha rubbed her hands together. "I want you to go out with her. Actually, you don't have a choice, coz I kinda already set it up," she lowered her head and peeked up at his face.

"Excuse me; are you joking?" Jack looked at her in surprise. "Please tell me you're joking," he laughed.

"I'm being serious," Martha frowned.

Jack sighed. "Why would I want to go on a date with another woman when I'm already married," he looked at her as though she was crazy. "Married to you, that is," Jack then pointed out.

"Look Jack, you and I; we aren't together," Martha said as she stood up. "There's nothing stopping you or me from seeing other people. Having said that; I'm going out with her brother," she broke the news.

"What?" Jack growled as he stood up quickly.

"I'm only doing it because Joy asked me. She thought it was only fair that I went out with him; if she was going to go out with you," Martha tried to explain. "If it wasn't for that reason; I would be going out with him," she continued.

Jack didn't say anything. He didn't know what to say. He couldn't stand the thought of Martha going out with another guy. But he knew he couldn't stand in her way. He didn't want to be the one responsible for making Martha unhappy.

"So, will you go out with her?" Martha looked at him hopefully. "It'll be fun. She's a great girl," she added.

What could be the harm, Jack thought to himself. He slowly started to nod. "I'll go; but only because you want me too," he told Martha.

"Thank you, thank you," Martha jumped up and down before kissing him quickly on the cheek. "You're the best," she pointed.

"So when is this date?" Jack sighed as he sat back down.

"Saturday night; you're taking her to the bonfire on the beach," Martha explained. "That's where I'll be going with her brother too, so we'll see each other there," she grinned.

"Great," Jack tried to be cheerful; but inside her breaking apart.

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THREE DAYS LATER

Jack walked through the front door of his place; only to find Lucas sitting quietly at the kitchen bench.

"Hey bro, what's up?" Jack asked as he sat down next to him.

Lucas turned to look at him. "I can't keep it to myself any longer," he frowned.

"Is this about last week? You've been acting strange ever since that morning on the beach," Jack said.

"Yeah, it's about what Mattie told me," Lucas nodded.

Jack put his hand on Lucas's shoulder. "So this is about Mattie?" he asked.

"No," Lucas shook his head. "It's about Martha," he told his brother.

"What do you mean?" Jack was curious.

Lucas let out a loud sigh as he scratched his eyebrow. "Martha's been lying to us," he started. "She remembered things Jack; things about the two of you. And she hasn't told you. She told Mattie and Cassie and then Mattie told me. I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner Jack, but I honestly thought Martha would have told you herself," he explained.

Jack was stunned. "She remembers me, but she didn't tell me. Why wouldn't she tell me?" he fired off questions. They were more to himself; not Lucas.

Jack quickly stood up and walked out of the house. He needed to be alone. He needed to think about this. He needed to think about why Martha would keep that from him.

He wanted to know why his wife was lying to him.

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**NEXT CHAPTER: Jack confronts Martha.**


	22. Chapter 22

**CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO**

"Hey Luc, do you know where Jack is?" Martha asked Lucas as he walked into the kitchen.

"I think he went for a walk," Lucas answered as he sat down at the bench. He grabbed a jug of water and poured himself a glass.

Martha let out a loud sigh. "How long does it take to go for a walk? I've been home for an hour and he was long gone by then," she tapped her fingers impatiently on the table.

"He probably just wants some time to think," Lucas said. "I don't blame him though," he frowned at Martha.

"What's going on?" Martha immediately sensed something was up. Lucas was acting weird. She didn't like it.

"Nothing," Lucas lied. "Why do you want him to hurry up and get home?" he then asked.

"Oh, it's nothing important. I just wanted to see if he wanted to have dinner at the diner tonight," Martha replied. "You want too?" she looked across at Lucas.

"Sure; why not," Lucas shrugged.

It was only a few moments later when Jack walked through the door. Lucas jumped up as soon as he spotted Jack.

"Get lost," Jack told Lucas as he pointed towards the door.

Lucas nodded. "Yeah. Um, I'm gonna go," he stammered. "I'll go pick Alex up from dad and Beth's, yeah?" he muttered as he took off out the door.

"What's wrong?" Martha asked slowly as she took note of Jack's tense frame. He looked angry, but she could also detect a hint of hurt flashing across his face. Something was definitely wrong.

"You know what's wrong," Jack snapped at her.

Martha flinched a little; surprised at the harshness in his voice. "God, who pissed in your cornflakes this morning?" she frowned at him.

"Stop it. Just stop it," Jack yelled at her. "Stop pretending as though you don't know what I'm talking about," he sneered.

"Stop talking to me like that," Martha was starting to get angry. "What the hell is your problem?" she wanted to know.

"My problem?" Jack's anger started to subside; the hurt evident on his face. "Why didn't you tell me Martha? Why didn't you yell me that you remembered things about us?" he said in a soft voice.

Martha's voice hitched in her throat. She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. She didn't know what to say. All she knew was that she had hurt him; and now she was hurting too. She looked away from his probing gaze; unable to look him in the eye.

"I'm sorry," Martha choked on the lump that was forming in her throat.

"You're sorry," Jack exclaimed as he moved closer to her. "If you'd just told me from the beginning then you wouldn't have to be sorry," he frowned.

Martha blinked away the tears that were threatening to spill down her cheeks. "I was scared," she cried.

"Scared of what?" Jack was confused.

"I don't know," Martha's shoulders slumped. "Everything has just been so intense these last few weeks. I'm stressing out all the time and I hardly get any sleep. There's just so much pressure and I can't handle it all at once," she explained to him.

Jack sighed. "You still could have told me," he pointed out.

"No. No, I couldn't," Martha shook her head. "I already had too much to deal with. All the crap with my dad was enough; I wouldn't have been able to handle it all. I didn't want you getting your hopes up, coz I knew you would have if I had of told you I was remembering things about the two of us. You would have been on my case every five seconds and it would have been too much for me to take at the one time," a tear slid down her cheek.

Martha brushed the tear away; only to have it replaced by another. The tears were starting to fall a lot quicker. "I need you to understand how hard this is for me," she looked him in the eye. "I am so confused right now. Remembering these things; it's really screwing with my head. And to have you stand there and yell at me about it; it's making it worse," she told him.

Jack stood on the spot; taking in everything she was saying. She looked as though she was about to have a meltdown.

"I'm sorry for yelling at you," Jack apologized. "It's just, when I found out that you had remembered some stuff; I was hurt. I don't understand why you wouldn't tell me. I'd been wanting for you to remember something about me; so badly," he said.

"I know," Martha nodded.

"I want you to remember the life that we made for ourselves. I want you to remember our daughter; the child that we created together," Jack held his hand over his chest. "I want you; my wife, to remember how much she loved me. Because I love you so much, and it breaks my heart that you don't love me back. I know that's not your fault. None of us asked for this to happen," he trailed off.

Martha looked up at Jack; feeling guilty. "I really am sorry that I didn't tell you straight away," she told him again. "I never wanted to hurt you; I just needed some time to get my head around it. I would have told you eventually," she added.

Jack nodded his head in understanding. "I'm sorry too. I never want you to feel as though I'm pressuring you. The last thing I want to do is make you hate me. I wouldn't be able to handle it," he said.

Martha laughed a little as she wiped her tears away. "I could never hate you; my heart wouldn't allow it," she told him as she leant forward and hugged him.

Jack started to laugh also, as he wrapped his arms around her; holding her tight. "Since you seem to be in a friendly mood at the moment, how do you feel about sharing? You want to tell me what you remembered about us?" he asked with a sneaky tone to his voice.

Martha pulled away from him and gave him a playful push. "Don't push it buster. I'll tell you when I'm ready," she smiled.

Jack pouted. "Just tell me one thing; was it hot?" he wiggled his eyebrows.

"Not telling," Martha sing-songed. "And if you keep nagging; I'll never tell," she teased.

"Oh, hey; do I still have to go on that date on Saturday night?" Jack then asked. "Coz, if there was anyway I could get out of it……," he trailed off.

"You're still going," Martha exclaimed as she pointed her finger at him. "No buts," she added.

"Just thought I'd ask," Jack huffed as he sat down and flicked on the remote. "No harm in that".

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**NEXT CHAPTER: The Dates. How will they go? Who will get their feelings hurt?**


	23. Chapter 23

**CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE**

"Thanks Irene," Martha smiled as Irene placed two chocolate sundae's down in front of her and Jason; her date.

"No worries love." Irene smiled back as she walked towards the kitchen.

Martha had decided to meet Jason at the diner. There, they would have dinner and then later, make their way down towards the beach; where the bonfire was going to be held. Martha knew straight away that Jason was a great guy, but she also knew that there was no attraction between them. Jason knew it too. He had confided in Martha and had told her that he had actually already met a girl on his holiday and that he really liked her. But he only agreed to the date because his sister had begged. Martha had laughed and told Jason that she only agreed to the date because Joy had also begged her.

"Okay, so let me get this straight; you set my sister up on a date with your husband?" Jason looked at her in shock. Martha had just finished explaining to him, what she'd been through the last couple of months and all about her memory loss.

"Yeah," Martha nodded. "I know it sounds crazy. But I really wanted Jack to get out of the house and start enjoying life again. He deserves to be happy, and I just make him unhappy," she explained.

"From what you've told me; that is not the case," Jason said to Martha. "The guy obviously loves you. If he didn't, he would have given up a long time ago. You can't blame him for holding out for hope. And like you said; you've already started to remember bits and pieces of your relationship with him. I think you should have waited a bit longer before rushing out and setting him up on dates with other women," he finished.

Deep down, Martha knew Jason was right. But she wasn't ready to admit that. "I don't want to hold him back. I don't to get his hopes up, because there is a chance I won't remember anything else," she began. "I want Jack to be happy. And that won't happen if he sits around and wastes his life waiting around for the day when I remember him and how much I love him," Martha said with a hint of sadness to her voice.

"From the sounds of it, you already are back in love with him," Jason exclaimed. "Who said you needed memories to fall back in love him? You could fall back in love with him with out them," he pointed out.

Martha shook her head; trying to get rid of all the thoughts that were consuming her mind. Jason was right. She didn't need memories to help her fall back in love with Jack. But she didn't want to think about that right now.

"I don't want to talk about it anymore," Martha told Jason. "Can we just concentrate on this fake date," she joked.

Jason laughed. "Sure. Besides, if we keep talking, our sundaes are going to melt," he said.

"Exactly," Martha grinned. "And believe me; you don't want to miss out on one of these sundaes. They are the best thing since sliced bread," she told Jason.

"Oh, I know. Joy and I had one here the other day," Jason exclaimed as he shoveled a heaped spoonful into his mouth.

Martha started to nod and kept on talking. "Yeah, when I was pregnant with Alex I used to eat them all the time. Jack used to bring me down nearly every ni……..," she trailed off when she realized what she was saying. "Oh my god," Martha gasped and raised her hand to her mouth.

She remembered; she remembered being pregnant with Alex. She remembered how sweet Jack used to be. He would always bring her down to the diner for one of Irene's famous chocolate sundaes. And if she was too tired to go out, he would make one for her at home.

Jason looked across at Martha; realizing what had just happened. "Let me guess; that was one of the many things you couldn't remember; being pregnant with your daughter," he smiled.

Martha nodded excitedly. "I can't believe it," she sighed happily. "The words just came tumbling out of my mouth and I didn't even have to think about it. But now it's all there in my mind; like it just happened yesterday," she explained.

"That's great. Maybe whatever it is that is blocking all your memories is really starting to fade now," Jason remarked.

"Maybe," Martha jumped up. "Look, I hate to be rude, but I have to find Jack. I need to tell him that I remember something from my pregnancy. He'll be upset if I don't go and tell him," she said; her eyes shining with happiness.

"No worries," Jason laughed at her sheer excitement. "I'll see you around," he waved as she practically ran out the door.

Martha's insides were jumping around. She was so happy that she had remembered something. She couldn't wait to tell Jack.

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Jack couldn't believe how much fun he was having with Joy. He had to admit that Martha was right; Joy was a great girl. She was fun and cracked some great jokes. He hadn't laughed this much in a long time. He was actually glad that Martha had talked him in to going.

At first he was going to bail on the date, and just stay at home with Alex. But Martha had made him go and she had taken Alex over to his dad's place so that he and Beth could have her for the night.

But now Jack was glad that he had agreed to go. He was having fun.

"Off with the fairies," Joy laughed as she waved her hand in front of Jack's face; trying to gain his attention.

"Sorry," Jack snapped out of his thoughts. "I was just thinking," he added.

"About," Joy smiled at him.

"Oh, nothing important," Jack said as he poked a stick at the bonfire.

"You're not regretting this date are you?" Joy frowned.

"No," Jack said a little too quickly. "I'm actually glad that I came. Truth is; I wasn't going to come. I was going to bail," he bobbed his head in embarrassment.

"Really?" Joy grinned as she playfully hit him on the arm.

"Yeah, I was going to stay home with my daughter, but Marth….," Jack started to say but stopped when Joy cut him off.

"Did you just say daughter?" Joy looked at him in surprise.

"Yeah," Jack nodded. "Her name is Alex. She's nine months old," he told her.

Joy paused on the spot for a moment; trying to register what Jack had just said. "Wait, wait," she held her hands up in the air. "Doesn't Martha have a daughter named Alex?" she was confused.

By now, Jack was also confused. "Martha didn't tell you, did she?" he asked.

"Tell me what?" Joy shook her head as she frowned.

Jack let out a loud sigh as he held his left hand up. "Martha and I are married," he stated. "Alex is our daughter," he emphasized. He was surprised that Martha hadn't told Joy the truth.

Joy was stunned to say the least, but she soon started to laugh. "This is just plain weird. If you and Martha are married then why did she set you up on a date with me?" she wanted to know.

"It's kind of a long story, but to put a long story short; about three months ago, Martha was in an accident," Jack started to explain. "She was in a coma for a month and when she woke up she couldn't remember anything that had happened in the last three years. Meaning, she didn't remember me or Alex," he exclaimed.

"Oh my gosh, that must have been very hard on you," Joy remarked. "So, does that mean that Martha still doesn't remember?" she then asked.

"She's remembered a few things about our relationship, but she won't tell me," Jack answered. "I mean, it's understandable. She's been stressing about it a lot lately and I don't want to push her. But she's made it clear that we aren't together anymore and I want to respect her wishes," he finished.

"So, it's okay for you to be here on a date with me then?" Joy smiled flirtatiously at Jack.

Jack shrugged. "She's the one who wanted me to come. And I'm glad that I did; I'm having fun," he smiled back at her.

"So am I," Joy exclaimed a she reached out and softly rubbed his arm. "I'm glad that you came, because I really like you," she said honestly.

Jack smiled and nodded at her before turning back to the fire. From the corner of his eye, Jack thought that he saw Martha watching him, but when he turned to take a closer look, she was gone.

He knew that it was probably just his mind playing tricks on him. Martha was with Joy's brother and she was most likely having a lot of fun. So why on earth would Martha be there watching him?

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Martha knew she had no right to be upset. She was the one who made him go out with Joy in the first pace. So why did she feel a pain in her heart?

She saw the way Joy had touched Jack, and she noticed the smile he had given her in return. Maybe Jack really liked Joy. Maybe he was actually going to move on. Maybe he was actually getting over her.

She had no right to be hurt. She was the one who kept pushing Jack away. But now as she ran up the beach, away from the bonfire, she let the tears start to fall.

Why was it that something as simple as a touch from another women, be the one thing that made Martha realize that she was in fact in love with Jack.

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**NEXT CHAPTER: Now that Martha has accepted her love for Jack; will she tell him? Or will she push him straight into Joy's arms; resulting in even more heartache.**


	24. Chapter 24

**CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR**

"Good morning," Jack said cheerfully as he walked into the kitchen the next morning.

Martha looked up from her bowl of cereal and gave him a small smile. "Morning," she said in return.

Jack sat down opposite Martha and poured himself a bowl of his own cereal. He needed to eat quickly, or he would be late for work.

"So," Martha looked at Jack curiously. "How was your date last night?" she asked.

"You were right," Jack grinned. "Joy is a great girl. I actually had fun with her," he told her.

"Yeah, I bet," Martha muttered.

"What was that?" Jack asked with a mouthful of food.

"Nothing," Martha shook her head at him as she quickly looked down. "So, you liked her then?" she put on a fake smile.

"She was nice. She's actually asked me to meet her at Noah's tonight for drinks," Jack answered.

Martha tried her hardest not make some sarcastic comment. She was pissed. She was pissed off at the fact that Jack had actually had fun with Joy, and was going out with her again. She had no right to be angry, but she was. And now the only thing she could do was pretend to be happy about it.

"What about you?" Jack then questioned Martha.

"What about me?" she was confused.

Jack scoffed. "Your date with Jason; how was it?" he laughed at her forgetfulness.

"Oh, it was alright," Martha shrugged. "I actually came home early. I didn't feel too good," she lied. She wasn't about to tell him that she ended her date early because she wanted to see him and tell him about her memory.

"What?" Jack was surprised. "I bet Jason was bummed about that. He probably thought you were blowing him off," he exclaimed.

"No, he was totally cool about it," Martha shook her head. "Truth is; we both saw each other as only a friend. There was nothing but a friends vibe there, and we both made that clear at the start of the night," she explained to Jack.

"Oh," Jack suddenly felt a little guilty. Here he was out having fun with another woman, while Martha was stuck at home alone.

Martha laughed at his discomfort. She could tell that she was making him feel bad, but she couldn't seem to stop.

"Like I said from the very beginning; I only went out with him because Joy begged me to," Martha started. "I didn't do it because I was looking for a relationship or anything. I just done it as a favor," she continued.

Jack was silent. He obviously didn't have anything to say. Good; I hope he feels bad, Martha thought to herself.

"I mean hello, I'm a married woman for goodness sake," Martha joked as she stood up from her chair. "I shouldn't be out chasing around after other men. That would be like, totally betraying my marriage vows or something," she continued to joke; while taking pleasure at the distraught look on Jack's face.

Knowing that she had gone too far, she started to laugh. "Kidding," she exclaimed. She placed her bowl in the sink and then glanced at the clock. "Oh gee, is that time? You'd better hurry up or you're going to be late for work. I'm going to pick up Alex from your dads; I'll see you later tonight when you get home from work," she ranted as she waltzed passed Jack.

Jack wasn't really paying attention to what she was saying. He seemed to be off in a world of his own, and Martha knew it was because of everything she had just said.

"Relax," Martha laughed again as she ruffled his hair. "I told you; I was just kidding. We're not together, so we can do whatever the hell we want. Stop worrying," she said one last time before leaving.

Once she was out of Jack's sight, she let out a loud sigh. What she had just done was completely uncalled for and she hated herself for doing it. She had made him go on the stupid date with Joy, so she shouldn't have been making him feel bad.

Martha scolded herself and made a promise not to do it again. It made her look like a manipulative bitch. And she hated the thought that people would think that of her. She just hoped that she could stay true to her promise.

If Jack wanted to go out with Joy again, then it was his decision. Martha wasn't going to stop him. She wasn't going to let her stupid feelings get in the way of Jack having fun and being happy.

Martha knew what she had to do. She had to push her feelings aside and let Jack have a chance with Joy; even if it meant getting her feelings hurt.

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Martha had just put Alex down to bed when Jack got home later that night. She hoped that things weren't weird between them; especially after everything she had said that morning. She was feeling a load of guilt and it seemed to grow worse with every passing minute.

Martha turned around and gave Jack a smile when she heard him at the door. But that smile soon turned into a frown

"Oh my god; what happened?" Martha asked when she noticed the trail of blood trickling down the side of his face.

"Just had a bit of trouble trying to arrest this guy," Jack laughed. "It took three of us to get him into a cell. He took a few swings at us and I was the one who ended up getting punched in the face," he explained.

"I should take you to the hospital and they can fix it up," Martha sounded worried as she stepped close to him and took a closer look.

"No, no, it's only a small cut," Jack waved it off. "I'll clean it up myself," he told her.

"I'll do it," Martha suggested. She wouldn't take no for an answer. She hurried off towards the bathroom and came back with a small bowl of warm water, a cloth, some antiseptic cream and packet of small butterfly stitches.

"Sit down," Martha pushed Jack and he fell into a sitting position on the couch. She knelt down in front of him and pushed herself between his legs. She grabbed the wet cloth and rung it out before starting to dab at the small wound beside Jack's eyebrow.

"Ow," Jack winced at the sting that coursed through his head.

"Stop being a baby," Martha smiled at him.

As Martha set to work on cleaning the wound, she found herself lowering her gaze to Jack's lips. She had a sudden urge to just lower her hand and trace her thumb across them. She wanted to bring his face closer and brush her own lips across his; just to see if he tasted the same as he had in her dreams and memories. But she knew it was bad idea. It would just confuse things; for him and for her.

"Are you ever going to tell me?" Jack's voice broke Martha from her thoughts.

"Tell you what?" Martha was confused as she stopped what she was doing and looked deep into his eyes.

"What you remember about me; about us," Jack answered her.

Martha opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. She should have known that Jack would bring it up again.

"Why are you so desperate to find out?" Martha asked him as she started to rub some antiseptic cream onto his face. "Do you think things will change if you knew," she wanted to know.

"I don't know," Jack shrugged. "I don't think you know either. But if you tell me; perhaps we'll find out," he said as he reached out and brushed a piece of hair over her shoulder.

Martha felt a tingle course through her body as she felt Jack's fingers on her bare shoulder. She knew he had no intention of removing his hand until he heard what he wanted to hear. Martha let out a loud sigh when she knew she no longer had a choice. She knew she had to tell him.

She continued to rub in the cream as she started to speak. "We were up at the cliffs," she started. "I said something about burning hoops and then you kissed me," she said quickly; trying to play it down.

"Our first kiss," Jack stated with a small laugh.

"I guess," Martha shrugged as she placed the tiny bandage over Jack's cut. "There; all done," she smiled before gently running her thumb over the bandage and down his the side of his face a little. She then moved away from him, only to have him grab her wrist with his spare arm; pulling her back towards him.

"What else? You said there were two things; what's the other?" Jack looked her right in the eye as he subconsciously rubbed her shoulder.

Martha felt the tingle rush through her body again and butterflies started to flutter around in the pit of her stomach. She was trying her damned hardest to push the feelings away, but it was so hard.

"Please Martha," Jack practically begged her.

Martha couldn't help but feel a little uncomfortable about telling him; especially in the close proximity that they were in right now. Their faces were only moments away from each other and Jack still had a firm grip on her wrist and her shoulder and she could tell that he had no intention of letting her go anytime soon. Martha swallowed the large lump that had formed in her throat and let out a deep breath. She looked away from his eyes as she began to explain the memory to him.

"We were here. You were sitting at the table doing some paperwork and I had just put Alex down for the night. I was in our room and I was putting my blue robe on," Martha had to stop for a moment; she could a blush starting to rise up her neck and onto her cheek.

"Keep going," Jack urged her in a whispered voice.

Martha looked up into his eyes. She could see the anticipation on his face. She could see how desperate he was to know. She took another deep breath before continuing again.

"I came out here and I turned out the lights. It was dark; you thought the power had gone out," Martha laughed a little. "But it was just me. I walked across the room and lit some candles. And to cut a long story short; we started kissing, I took off your shirt and then my robe. I told you that I loved you and you said that I was amazing……," she trailed off.

"And then we made love on the floor," Jack finished off or her.

Martha looked at Jack in surprise. He obviously remembered that night clearly. "I can only guess that that is what we did," she told him. "Before we got any further; everything faded and I snapped out of it. I don't remember anything else," she sighed.

"Well I remember it clearly; it was the night before the accident. It was the last time that we….," Jack started but Martha cut him off.

"Stop," she raised her finger to his lips; shushing him. She knew what he was going to say. It was the last time they had made love. Martha closed her eyes and willed the tears away. She could feel them beginning to brim in her eyes. She couldn't bear to talk about this anymore; it was hurting too much.

"Are you sure you don't remember anything else about that night? Like how happy you were with me?" Jack raised his hand and cupped her cheek.

"That's all I remember," Martha tried to move away from him.

But Jack held her tighter. "Let me help you remember," he whispered in her ear. He ran his other hand up her arm and gently teased her skin. "Let me remind you of how great it was. Let me show you how amazing we were together and how much we loved each other," he said huskily as he moved forward and trailed his lips across her neck.

Martha let her eyes close again. She let out a soft gasp and fell limp in his arms; falling prey to his tender touches. Tiny sparks were shooting through her body; she had never felt so good in her life. She let her head drop back as Jack continued to nuzzle at her neck. What she wouldn't give to join her lips with his; but she knew she couldn't. She remembered the words that he had said to her this morning; she pulled away from him.

"I can't," Martha cried. She jumped up quickly and composed herself. "I'm going to go and check on Alex. And you need to get ready for your date with Joy. You don't want to keep her waiting," and with that Martha took off towards Alex's nursery.

Jack sat on the couch in shock. What the hell just happened, he thought to himself. For just a minute he had thought that he'd made progress with Martha. She'd finally let down the stone wall that she'd been holding in place and she had finally let him in. But then it ended as quickly as it had started. She's pushed him away once again and had almost demanded that he get ready for his date with Joy.

He honestly didn't know what was going on in Martha's head. It made him more frustrated by the second. Jack let out a loud groan and rolled his head back onto the couch. What was he supposed to do now? Should he go out with Joy and respect Martha's wishes; or should he stay home and go with his heart?

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**NEXT CHAPTER: Decisions!! Tears and heartache!!! Alcohol!!! Jack, with Joy's help, makes a decision that will shock and hurt Martha. What will he do?**


	25. Chapter 25

**CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE**

"Are you sure that you're okay?" Joy asked Jack as she passed him a beer. "You've been distracted ever since you got here," she added.

Jack nodded. "It's nothing," he took a swig of his beer.

In the end, Jack had decided to keep his date with Joy. He'd hung around the house for a bit; in hopes that Martha would come out of her room and talk to him about what had happened between them. But she hadn't come out, so Jack decided it would be best if he left her alone. He'd then gotten ready and met with Joy at Noah's.

"It's not nothing," Joy frowned. "Come on; you can tell me," she smiled at Jack.

"It's Martha," Jack sighed. "Let's just say that I'm pretty sure our marriage is well and truly over. I think she made it pretty clear tonight," he told Joy.

"What happened?" Joy was curious.

"It's kinda personal; I don't want to go into the full details," Jack shook his head. "It's just; I thought I was making some real progress with her, but after tonight; I think things have taken a step back," he explained.

Joy opened her mouth to speak, but then stopped. She took a deep breath and then started again. "I thought you already knew your marriage was over. I mean, if there was still a marriage, you wouldn't be here with me. You never would have agreed to go out with me in the first place; right?" she started.

Jack wasn't quite sure what to say. "I guess," he shrugged.

"I don't want to sound harsh, but, you need to get over it. Your marriage is over and you need to accept that," Joy told him. "You need to get over it. Get over Martha and move on. You see; that's why I thought you were here with me; coz you were moving on. I guess I was wrong" she seemed a bit upset.

"No, I do want to move on. And obviously Martha wants me to aswell; that's why she set me up with you," Jack began. "But you are right; I need to get over it and move on. There's no use in wallowing. But I think I need to take it slow. I don't want to rush into anything too serious," he exclaimed.

Joy smiled. "I'm glad that you've see sense. You shouldn't be feeling sorry for yourself or moping around. You should be having fun and meeting new people; like me," she pointed out with a grin. "Now, tonight is the night you are going to start afresh, okay? And to do that; there is one major thing you need to do," Joy was being serious.

"What is it?" Jack wanted to know.

Joy sighed. "The wedding ring; it has to go," she said softly.

Jack was stunned. He definitely wasn't expecting that. "I don't know…..," he trailed off.

Joy placed her hand on Jack's shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. "You need to. It's the first step in moving on. Your marriage is over. There is no reason to wear it anymore, right?" she crossed her arms.

Jack was hesitant at first, but then realized that Joy was right. "Martha took hers off a while ago. It was a couple days after she came out of the coma. I guess I probably should have taken mine off then too," he shrugged. "No better time than the present," he added as he looked down at his hand and slowly slid his wedding ring off his finger.

"You're doing the right thing," Joy assured him.

Jack suddenly felt naked. He felt bare and empty without his ring on his finger. But he knew that it was the right thing to do. He needed to move on from Martha. Their marriage was over.

"How does it feel to be a free agent?" Joy then laughed. "I know that I'm happy. I guess that's because I'm first in line," she flirted.

Jack faked a laugh. He wanted to be happy, but inside he couldn't be. He didn't want to hurt Joy's feelings, so he just had to play along for her sake. He looked over the ring one last time before dropping into the pocket of his jeans. It all felt real now; his marriage was over.

Unbeknownst to Jack; someone had just witnessed everything.

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Martha felt her heart break as she watched Jack removing his wedding ring. That was the one thing that she didn't expect him to do. But he had done it and he looked pretty happy with his decision.

Martha knew that she had messed up royally. She had been at home watching movies with Lucas and Mattie, and she hadn't been able to take her mind off Jack all night. She kept thinking about their encounter earlier and how good it had felt. She'd come to the decision that it was what she wanted. She wanted Jack. She didn't want to deny it anymore.

She had jumped up from her spot on the couch and had asked Mattie and Luc to watch Alex. She'd headed straight for Noah's; knowing that Jack was there with Joy. She felt awful about ruining there date, but Martha needed to tell Jack that she loved him and that she wanted to be with him. She couldn't put it off any longer.

But she was too late. The damage had been done. Jack had finally given up on her. He'd removed his wedding ring. He wanted to move on; probably with Joy too!

Martha covered her mouth and held in the sobs that were starting to wrack her body. She turned around and rushed from the bar. She needed to get out of there. She needed to get away from them. She couldn't bear the pain that came with seeing them together.

Martha hated herself. She hated herself for ruining the one thing she had always wanted; someone who loved her. And Jack had loved her; that much she knew. But it was gone now. She'd pushed him away one too many times. And now she was being punished for it. She'd lost him.

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Martha was sitting in the dark at the kitchen bench, when Jack arrived home a few hours later. When Martha had arrived home earlier, she had pretty much demanded that Lucas and Mattie go away and leave her alone. She'd also asked them to take Alex with them. Mattie had been happy to look after her niece for the night.

As soon as they'd left, Martha had found a bottle of vodka in the cupboard. She'd opened it and skulled down a glass within seconds. She loved the burning pain it brought as it slipped down her throat. She wanted to forget about Jack and the only way she could do it would be if she drank him away. The alcohol brought forth a new pain, and she was happy about it. She'd prefer the burning pain over the love pain any day.

She was pouring herself another glass when Jack walked in. He walked across the room and flicked on a lamp; it lit up the room in a soft glow. Jack got a bit of a fright when he realized Martha was in the room.

"You startled me," Jack laughed.

"I startled you?" Martha said sarcastically as she raised the glass to her lips.

Jack; realizing that Martha was drinking, walked over to the bench. "Hitting the sauce?" he exclaimed.

"Self medicating actually," Martha answered with a slur to her words.

"Are you okay?" Jack asked her. He seemed worried.

Martha looked away from him and took another sip of her drink. "Just go away and leave me alone," she said to him.

Jack frowned at her. "Is this about what happened between us earlier?" he wanted to know.

Martha stood up and moved across the room; glass in hand. "Please," she scoffed. "Not everything is about you," she staggered and tripped a little. Luckily Jack was close enough to stop her from falling.

"Maybe you should put the drink away," Jack suggested.

Martha pulled herself away from his grasp and turned to glare at him. "No. No, you don't get to do that. You don't get to tell me what to do," she snapped. "We're not married, remember? You don't get to tell me what to do. So why don't you rack off and go back to your new girlfriend. I'm sure she'd love to have you over," she sneered.

"She's not my girlfriend," Jack said softly.

"Could have fooled me," Martha muttered to herself.

"Martha, what is going on?" Jack questioned as he took a hold of her arm.

"Don't touch me," Martha cried. "Just don't touch me," she pulled away from him and rushed off to her room. A few moments later, Jack heard the door slam.

Jack stood rooted to the spot; wondering what had overcome her. He let out a loud sigh and moved towards the bench. He sat down on the stool and took hold of the Vodka bottle. He raised it to his lips and took a swig; wincing at the burn in his throat.

As he sat the bottle back on the bench, he noticed something sitting beside it. He picked them up; Martha's wedding bands. He wondered what they were doing there; why she had them out. Was she just looking at them? Or did she get them out so that she could give them back to him?

Jack slid his hand into his pocket and pulled out his own wedding ring. He placed it in his hand with Martha's and squeezed them tight in his fist. Jack didn't understand why he was feeling like this. He felt as though he was doing the wrong thing by taking his off. He fought the urge to put it back on. His heart was telling him to do it, but his mind was telling him to keep it off.

In the end his mind won. If Martha no longer wore hers; then he shouldn't either.

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Martha was up and gone by the time Jack got out of bed the next morning. He'd had a really restless night and every time he closed his eyes; he saw Martha's face.

Jack had a quick breakfast and decided to go for a walk down the beach. As he reached the waters edge, he noticed Joy walking towards him with another man. Jack guessed that it must be her brother.

"Hey Jack," Joy smiled when they reached him. "This is my brother Jason," she introduced him to her brother.

"Hi mate," Jack smiled as they shook hands.

"It's nice to finally meet you," Jason smiled in returned. "Martha told me a lot about you the other night. Great girl," he then added.

Jack nodded. "Yeah, she is. She actually told me that you're date went bust," he laughed.

"I didn't mind," Jason grinned. "But I bet you were glad that she went and told you straight away. You should have seen her face man; I've never seen someone look so excited before," he said.

Jack was confused. "What are you talking about?" he asked.

"Yeah, what are you talking about?" Joy herself was confused.

Jason paused for a moment; unsure of what was going on. "Didn't Martha come and tell you?" he questioned.

"Tell me what?" Jack was feeling agitated.

By now Jason had realized that he had put his foot in his mouth. He sighed. He knew he had to tell Jack. "She remembered something the other night at the diner. Something about you taking her there every night so that she could have a sundae while she was pregnant with Alex," he started. "After that she left straight away. She headed down to the bonfire so she could tell you. She was really excited about telling you," Jason explained.

"Well, we didn't see her," Joy huffed.

"Actually, I think I did see her. But I thought it was just my eyes playing tricks on me," Jack scratched his head.

Jason frowned. "I wonder why she didn't tell you then?" he exclaimed.

"I have to go," Jack said quickly as he turned around and started to walk off.

"Do you want to meet up later?" Joy called out to him.

"I don't know," Jack was hesitant. "We'll see," he shrugged before walking off.

Joy turned around to glare at her brother. "Why did you have to open your fat mouth?" she sighed loudly.

"What did I do?" Jason was surprised by her attitude.

"I really like Jack," Joy told Jason.

Jason shook his head at her. "I hate to break it to you Joy; but Jack is in love with Martha. You'd have to be stupid if you think you could take her place," he said.

"I'm not stupid," Joy pointed. "Beside's Martha doesn't want to be with Jack," she added.

Jason started to walk away. "News flash Joy; she's falling for him again. I could see it in her eyes whenever she mentioned his name. She's crazy about him; she loves him," he pointed out.

"This isn't fair," Joy pouted.

"You'll get over it," Jason laughed.

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**NEXT CHAPTER: There's been an accident. Who gets hurt?**


	26. Chapter 26

**CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX**

For the next couple of hours Jack sat at home waiting patiently for Martha. They needed to talk; he knew that much. Things were starting to get way to intense and something needed to be done about it. Something was going on in Martha's head and he wanted to know what it was. He needed to know what she was feeling.

Jack stood up from his chair and walked towards the fridge; getting a bottle of water out. He was walking back to his chair when Martha appeared at the front door with Alex.

"Hey," Jack said to her.

"Hi," Martha said in return as she dropped her bag on the ground.

"I need to talk to you," Jack told her.

"Fine," Martha exclaimed as she placed Alex in her high chair. "What is it?" she asked; sounding uninterested.

"I saw Jason and Joy down at the beach earlier," Jack started. He didn't fail to notice the roll of Martha's eyes when he mentioned Joy's name. "Jason told me what happened at the diner the other night; about you remembering being pregnant with Alex. He also told me that you got really excited and that you ended you date just so you could come and tell me. Of course he was surprised when I told him I knew nothing about it," he finished.

Martha wasn't in the mood to have this conversation. She really just wanted to be left alone. "And?" she waved her hands in the air.

"So you did come looking for me down at the bon fire?" Jack asked, although it was more of a statement; not a question.

Martha knew that she had been caught out. There wasn't much point in lying about it. "Yeah, I did. So what," she shrugged as she walked into the kitchen and flicked on the kettle.

Jack sighed in frustration. "So why didn't you tell me?" he wanted to know.

Martha slowly turned around to face Jack. "You looked busy," she spat out.

"I knew it," Jack laughed a little. "This is because of Joy. You're all moody because of Joy and because I went out with her. Am I right, or am I right?" he said smartly.

Martha raised her eyebrows at him and then turned back to the kettle. What was the point in answering; she didn't want to give him the satisfaction.

"Don't turn away from me when I'm talking to you," Jack grabbed Martha's shoulder and pulled her back around. "I don't know why you're upset; you were the one who made me go out with her. I didn't want to, but you kept on pushing and pushing. So don't get mad at me," he growled at her.

Martha huffed. "You really must like her, huh?" she tried to sway the conversation a bit.

Jack shook his head at Martha in disbelief. "Stop it," he said seriously.

"Why?" Martha snapped. "I mean, you've only known the girl for three days and she already managed to convince you to take off you wedding ring. What does that tell you? Coz it tells me that you must really like her a lot. And you must if you can do that. Take off your wedding ring for her, I mean," she ranted.

Jack stood on the spot; shocked. He was unable to speak. How did she know that Joy had asked him to remove his ring? "How did….," he trailed off.

"I saw you," Martha frowned. "I saw you taking it off. I saw you looking pretty happy with your accomplishment," she said sarcastically.

"You took yours off first," Jack said in a quiet voice. "Why was it alright for you, but not for me?" he asked as he looked down at his feet.

"It was different," Martha yelled. "I lost my memory. I didn't know who I was anymore," she cried.

"It still doesn't explain why you're angry at me," Jack started. "You told me to go out with Joy. It was your stupid idea for me to move on. I thought it was what you wanted," he yelled back at her.

"Well it wasn't," Martha hissed. She then started to laugh. "And here I was thinking that maybe you and I might……," she started but was cut off by a knock at the door.

"We'll finish this later," Jack pointed his finger at Martha. "Come in," he then yelled to the person at the door.

The door slowly opened and Tony poked his head through the gap. "I could hear you two from the street," he frowned. "Is everything okay?" Tony asked.

Martha smiled. "Peachy," she exclaimed as she glanced at Jack; sending him an icy glare. "So, what's up?" she wanted to know.

"We just got a call from Belle," Tony started. "It's Irene; there's been an accident," he said.

Martha gasped; raising her fingers to her lips. "When? What happened?" she asked.

Tony sighed. "I haven't got the full details, but it was a car accident. It was only about two hundred meters from her place," he explained.

"Oh my god," Martha was stunned. "Is she okay?"

Tony shook his head. "It's pretty serious. She's pretty banged up," he answered.

"We should go to the hospital and see what's going on," Jack suggested.

"Yeah," Martha nodded in agreement. "I want to see Belle and make sure that she's okay too," she said as she picked up Alex and put her on her hip.

"I'll follow you in my car," Tony nodded at them.

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**NEXT CHAPTER: Will Irene be okay? And who is the strange woman that Martha see's at the hospital?**


	27. Chapter 27

**CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN**

"Belle," Martha called out as she ran down the hall towards her friend.

Belle was sitting between Matilda and Cassie; hugging her knees to her chest as she cried. When she spotted Martha, she jumped up and threw herself into her arms.

"It's okay," Martha soothed as she rubbed Belle's back.

"Has there been any news?" Tony asked as he and Jack stepped towards them.

Beth, who was there with Matilda and Cassie, stood up and shook her head. "She's still in surgery," she told them as she reached out and took Alex from Jack. Beth gave Alex a soft kiss on the fore-head.

"I can't believe this is happening," Belle said as she pulled away from Martha and sat back down next to Cassie and Matilda. Each girl took one of Belle's hands in their own. They wanted their friend to know that they were there for her.

"What exactly happened?" Jack wanted to know.

Belle shrugged. "I don't know much. All I know is that she smashed into a tree and it was only down the road from her place," she cried as she used her thumb to wipe away some stray tears. "The cops said they'll drop by after they are finished at the scene," she added.

"I might go give them a call and see how long they'll be," Jack nodded in Belle's direction and then walked off.

Martha looked back over at Belle and sighed. The girl was devastated and looked so distressed. She walked over towards her and knelt down in front of her.

"Irene is strong. She's a fighter," Martha reassured Belle. "She's going to be fine," she squeezed Belle's hand tight.

"Why does this keep happening?" Belle shook her head in sadness and then looked at Martha. "It was only a few months ago that we were here waiting for news on you. And now it's Irene, lying in there. We have all been through so much these last few years; why can't we just get some peace. It's so unfair," she sobbed.

"We'll get through this. If I can survive, then Irene can too," Martha smiled warmly. "Like I said; she's a fighter," she pointed out.

Belle tried to smile. "Thanks for being here," she told everyone.

"Irene is our family too," Beth smiled. "We wouldn't be anywhere else," she exclaimed.

Martha looked up when she heard footsteps coming down the hall. It was Jack.

"Anything?" Belle looked up at him hopefully.

Jack frowned. "Nothing yet," he shook his head.

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A couple of hours flew by and there was still no word from the police or the doctor's for that matter. Many of Irene's other friends had dropped in to see how things were going, but so far there had been no word. Everyone was starting to grow impatient, when finally Rachel appeared.

"Please give us some good news," Tony said as he stood up.

"The surgery went okay, but there were a few times when I thought we might lose her. But Irene is a very lucky woman. She pulled through," Rachel smiled at the group as she explained.

"Can I see her?" Belle pleaded.

Rachel nodded. "Of course. But only you for the moment," she replied. "Irene isn't awake and she may not wake for a few more hours yet. But you are welcome to go and sit with her," she smiled.

"Thank you," Belle smiled gratefully as she brushed past Rachel and took off down the hall towards Irene's room.

"Want to grab a coffee?" Martha placed her hand on Rachel's shoulder.

"I would love too," Rachel answered her with a smile.

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Martha stood at the counter in the hospital cafeteria; waiting for the coffee's. While the young girl made them for her, she turned and looked at Rachel; who was waiting for her in a table. Rachel looked so tired. She dropped her face into her hands and rubbed at her eyes. But the tiredness is worth it, Martha thought to herself. Rachel had saved Irene's life.

"Here you go," a voice said from behind the counter.

Martha turned back around and smiled as she handed over a few dollars for the coffees. She picked up some lids and slipped them over the cups. She picked them up and swung around only to run straight into a middle aged woman.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Martha apologized.

The woman laughed. "No, it was my fault," she smiled.

"I should have been paying more attention. I was off in my own little world," Martha said to the woman.

"Hospital's tend to do that to a person," the woman exclaimed.

Martha nodded in agreement. "Especially when somebody you love is lying in a hospital bed," she sighed.

"I know the feeling," the woman frowned. "Well, I'll let you pass. I think someone is waiting for that coffee," she laughed as she pointed over at Rachel.

"She definitely deserves this coffee," Martha stated. "Sorry for running into you," she apologized once more before brushing past the woman and making her way towards Rachel.

"One coffee; just the way you like it," Martha grinned as she sat down opposite Rachel and slid the hot drink towards her.

"Thanks," Rachel smiled gratefully. "Who was that woman you were just talking to?" she then asked.

"I don't know," Martha shrugged. "Does she look familiar to you?" she then asked suddenly.

Martha didn't know what it was, but there was something oddly familiar about the woman. She wished she knew what it was. But it was probably just her mind playing tricks on her. If the woman knew her, no doubt she would have mentioned it.

"I've never seen her before," Rachel answered with a slight shake of the head. "Why? What's wrong?" she questioned.

"It's weird," Martha scratched at her eyebrow. "She looks familiar to me. But I just can't place her," she felt a little frustrated.

"Maybe she was someone you knew before the accident, and that's why you don't remember her," Rachel suggested.

"I doubt it," Martha shook her head. "If she knew me, she would have said something," she pointed.

"Your right," Rachel agreed.

"But still; there's just something about her," Martha sighed as she watched the woman exit the cafeteria with a coffee. Martha's eyes lingered on the woman until she was out of site. There was definitely something about her. But Martha wasn't sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing.

"So," Rachel's voice brought Martha out and away from her thoughts. "How's things with Jack?" she asked.

Martha groaned. "Don't ask," she hung her head. "It's a long story," she exclaimed.

"I'm totally open for a long story," Rachel smiled at her. "If you want to talk; I'll listen," she offered.

Martha pondered the idea for a moment and then nodded. She needed to talk to someone and Rachel seemed like the perfect choice.

"I'm a total idiot……..," she started.

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Jack got up from his seat and walked over towards his father and Beth. They were talking quietly amongst themselves. Alex was sound asleep in Tony's arms.

"Dad, can you do me a favor?" Jack plonked himself down next to his father.

"Sure, what is it son?" Tony nodded.

"Can you and Beth take Alex tonight?" Jack asked him.

"Of course, we'd love to have her," Tony agreed. "May I ask why?" he then said.

Jack let out a loud sigh. "Me and Martha need to have a long chat. Things are starting to get out of hand, and I need to sort it out. Martha will probably try to use Alex as a distraction and as a way to get out of talking. So, I thought that it be best if she just stayed with you tonight," he explained. "I'm gonna tell Luc to get lost aswell," Jack then added.

"Things that bad, huh?" Tony felt sorry for his son.

Jack groaned. "It's driving me nuts dad," he nodded. "I can't even have a proper conversation with my wife without upsetting her or getting into a fight with her. I just want things to go back to the way they were," he sighed.

Tony could do nothing but nod in understanding. But there was one thing he wanted to ask about. "I noticed that you're not wearing your wedding ring," Tony pointed out.

Jack laughed sarcastically. "Who knew that a wedding ring could cause so much trouble," he muttered.

"What was that?" Tony looked up.

"Nothing," Jack answered. He went to speak again, but stopped when he spotted McGrath walking down the hall towards them. "Boss," Jack greeted him.

"Is Irene awake yet?" McGrath asked the group.

"No, she hasn't been out of surgery long," Jack told him. "It could be a few hours before she wakes up," he explained.

"Okay," McGrath nodded.

"So, what can you tell us?" Tony then questioned.

"I'm afraid that it's not good news," McGrath sighed.

"What is it?" Jack frowned.

"I've had Irene's car checked over and it seems that her break lines have been tampered with," McGrath told them.

"What are you saying?" Beth stammered.

"I'm saying that this wasn't an accident; someone has purposely tried to kill Miss Roberts………

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**NEXT CHAPTER: Will Jack and Martha talk things through?**


	28. Chapter 28

**CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT**

"This is insane," Belle shrieked as she threw her hands up in the air in disbelief. "Who, who would want to hurt Irene," she stuttered as a tear rolled down her face.

"We don't know," McGrath took a step away from Belle. "But we are looking into it. We're in the process of taking fingerprints, so hopefully we can pick something up from there," he explained.

"Hopefully? Hopefully?" Belle spat out. "No, not hopefully. You bloody well better find something. You're a cop; it's your job," she shouted.

"Come on sweet; calm down," Beth placed a comforting hand on Belle shoulder. "Let's go back into Irene's room and sit with her for a while. She could wake up soon and I'm sure she'd love to see you there when she first wakes up," she then suggested.

Belle gave a small nod. "Okay," she sniffed and then turned around and followed Beth down the hall.

Martha couldn't stand seeing her friend this way. It was heartbreaking. Martha let out a loud sigh and sat down on a chair next to Tony. She looked up and her eyes met with Jack's. They held each others gaze for a few moments before Jack turned away and walked out of the foyer with McGrath.

"He misses you," Tony's voice broke her from her thoughts.

"Sorry?" Martha was confused.

"Jack. He misses you," Tony said again.

Martha looked away from him and closed her eyes. "Things are complicated," she sighed. "Very complicated," she added.

"They don't have to be," Tony exclaimed.

Martha gave Tony a smile. "Jack's lucky to have a father who cares so much. If only mine was as supportive as you. I got the rough end of the stick. I got Brett Macklin," she looked down at her hands.

Tony reached over and took one of Martha's. "Hey, I'm not just Jack's dad," he started. "I'm yours too," he told Martha.

"Thank you," Martha squeezed his hand tight. She felt her eyes tear up a bit. Jack and Lucas were so lucky to have him.

Martha and Tony sat in silence for a few more minutes before Jack returned. "Are you ready to go?" Jack asked her.

"Yeah," Martha nodded as she stood up. She turned back towards Tony and reached her arms out to take Alex.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you," Jack stopped her. "Dad and Beth are taking Joey tonight," he said.

"Oh, okay," Martha was a little surprised. "But I'd still prefer if she came home with us now. I'd like to give her a bath and pack some stuff for her before she goes away for the night. Is that okay?" she said to Tony.

"Of course love," Tony nodded. "Beth and I will be sticking around here for a while, so we will stop in and pick her up on our way home. How bout that?" he suggested.

"Sounds great," Martha smiled as she took Alex into her arms. "When Belle comes out; can you tell her to call me if she needs anything?" she then asked

"I will," Tony answered.

"Thanks," Martha nodded in appreciation.

Martha and Jack said their goodbyes and then walked down the hall towards the exit. Just as Martha was about to walk outside, she spotted the woman from earlier. She paused on the spot and looked over at her. Martha cleared her mind and thought hard; trying to figure out how she knew that woman. But nothing popped up. But still, Martha felt as thought she had met her before. The feeling was quite strange.

"Who are you staring at?" Jack shook her arm; trying to gain her attention

Martha snapped her gaze up to Jack's face. She ignored his question and asked her own. "Have you ever seen that woman before," she asked.

Jack looked in the direction that Martha was looking. He noticed a woman sitting in the waiting room; reading a magazine. "Nope," he shook his head. "Never seen her before," he added.

"I think I know her," Martha exclaimed.

"What do you mean?" Jack was slightly confused.

"I don't know," Martha sighed in frustration. "Something in my head is telling me that I know her; or have at least seen her before. It's really bugging me," she told Jack.

"Why don't you just go and asked her," Jack suggested.

Martha looked at Jack as though he had two heads. "No I will not. She'll probably think I'm nuts or something. Lets just forget about it and go home," she gave the woman one last glance before walking outside with Alex in her arms; Jack close behind her.

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She glanced up and smiled to herself as she watched Jack and Martha Holden leaving the hospital. She knew that they had been watching her. She could tell that Martha was confused.

She wondered how long it would be until Martha remembered who she was. It was only a matter of time before Martha remembered that they had met before. It was only a matter of time before the wall started to break away; the wall that was blocking her memories. No doubt her mind would soon be free.

But of course, if she had her way, Martha would never remember. If she had her way, Martha Holden would be dead before she even had the chance to remember a thing.

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"I think I'll go and have a bath," Martha told Jack later that evening after Tony had dropped in and picked up Alex for the night.

"Alright, but don't be too long," Jack said as he put some dirty dishes in the dishwasher. "You and I need to finish our conversation from earlier," he pointed out,

"What if I don't want to finish that conversation," Martha rolled her eyes. She really wasn't in the mood to hear anything he had to say.

"Too bad; you don't have a choice," Jack exclaimed. "I asked dad to take Alex for the night, just so we could talk without any interruptions," he told her.

"You palmed her off to your dad, so she wouldn't interrupt?" Martha glared at him. "I should get in the car right now, and go and pick her up," she scoffed. She really couldn't believe his nerve.

Jack groaned. "Martha, this is serious. We can't just push this to the side anymore," he started. "This isn't just some stupid teen romance we're talking about; this is our marriage. Its real life," he finished.

Martha looked away from his tense glare. She knew he was right. "Fine," she huffed. "Give me half an hour to shower and get changed; then we can talk," she sighed before walking away to the bathroom.

She really was not looking forward to this conversation.

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**NEXT CHAPTER: Martha and Jack talk. Will Martha admit her feelings? Or will she keep pushing Jack away?**


	29. Chapter 29

**CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE**

Martha took a deep breath before stepping into the kitchen; where Jack was sitting and waiting patiently. She thought about turning around and walking back to her room, but she knew that she would look like a coward if she done that. There was no way she was going to get out of this conversation, and that was probably a good thing. Everything needed to be sorted out and it had to be done tonight.

Martha sat down opposite Jack and started playing with her hands. She was nervous. Very nervous.

"Your hands are shaking," Jack pointed out.

"I'm fine," Martha said in quiet voice as she looked up at him. "Lets just say what has to be said and call it a night, okay?" she then said.

"Why are you being like this Martha?" Jack frowned.

"Being like what?" Martha snapped at him.

"Cold," Jack exclaimed. "And you keep pushing me away. But I know that you don't want to," he added.

Martha shook her head. "You don't know what I want, Jack," her eyes were starting to tear up.

"If that's what you want to believe," Jack nodded as he stood up. "But I do know what I want. And I want you," he said confidently.

Martha looked back down at her hands and closed her eyes. She couldn't look at him. She didn't know what she was supposed to say back to him. She wanted to tell him that she felt the same, but it was just so hard.

"I want you to come back to me Martha," Jack started again. "I want my wife back. I want to be a family again. And you're the only one who is stopping that from happening," he finished.

"I don't know what to do Jack," Martha stood up and walked towards him. "I am so confused. I just don't know if can do what you want me to do," she cried.

Jack let out a loud sigh. He was starting to get highly frustrated. "I just need to know what's going on. I need to know if I'm wasting my time with us," he growled.

"I don't know why you're getting angry with me," Martha suddenly snapped. "You want to be with me so bad, yet, you've taken your wedding ring off. I thought that meant you'd given up and was deciding to move on," she was angry.

"I thought it was what you wanted," Jack protested.

"Well, it wasn't," Martha scoffed.

"Fine," Jack started to laugh sarcastically as he put his hand into his pocket. When he brought it out again, he thrust it towards Martha. He opened his fist and produced two wedding bands. He snatched his up and slipped it back onto his finger. "There, you happy? It's back on," he exclaimed.

"Jack," Martha started but was interrupted by Jack.

"Your turn," he said to her as he held her wedding band up in front of her face; between his thumb and pointer finger. Martha was rooted to the spot. Surely he didn't expect her to just put it back on like that.

"What are you waiting for?" Jack waved the ring around; being smart. "I put mine back on, so now you can too," he almost ordered.

Martha couldn't do it. She didn't understand why she couldn't just reach out and take the small band from him and slip it onto her finger. After all, it was as simple as that.

"Didn't think so," Jack said smugly as he let his hand fall to his side. "You're such a hypocrite Martha. You stand there and make me feel bad about taking my wedding ring off, but yet it's okay for you not to wear yours. I put it back on because I could see how much it hurt you when you realized I wasn't wearing it anymore. So why can't you do the same for me?" he was clearly upset.

"I don't know," Martha shrugged as a tear slid down her cheek.

"You don't love me. It's as simple as that," Jack stated as he placed her ring down on the counter.

"Jack, please," Martha reached out to him.

"It's okay. Just forget it," Jack brushed her off and walked off towards his room.

Martha started to sob. She rushed over towards the couch and flung herself down onto it. She curled up into a ball and let the tears continue to fall.

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Martha sat on the couch crying for about an hour. Jack had yet to reappear; the house was in a complete silence. It was like nobody existed.

She'd been thinking a lot over the last sixty minutes. She'd come to the conclusion that she was a fool. Jack had just offered her complete happiness and she'd practically thrown it back in his face. All because she was too scared to admit that she loved him.

But not anymore. She was going to tell him. She wasn't going to put it off anymore. She wanted to be happy; happy with her husband and her daughter. She knew things would never go back to the way they probably had been before her memory loss, but she was willing to accept that. It didn't matter that she couldn't remember a lot of things. But she could remember that she loved Jack, and that's what was most important.

Martha slipped off the couch and made her way towards the counter; where Jack had previously placed her wedding ring. She picked it up with her delicate fingers and held it up in front of her face. It was a pretty ring; simple but beautiful.

She was preparing to put it back on when she heard a creak behind her. She spun around and came face to face with Jack.

"What are you doing?" Jack looked at her curiously.

"I'm sorry," Martha said softly as she took a few steps towards him. "I've been a total fool, and a hypocrite; just like you said," she said to him.

"Martha," Jack started but Martha cut him off.

Martha reached out a placed her finger on Jack's lips. "Ssshhh," she said in a hushed tone as she pressed softly against his warm lips. "But you were wrong about one thing. You were wrong when you said that I didn't love you. Because I do; I do love you Jack. And I don't want to hide it anymore," she whispered to him.

"What are you saying?" a small smile started to make its way to Jack's mouth.

Martha smiled in return and slid her hand down Jack's chest. "I'm saying that I want to be with you. I want to be your wife again. I want us to be a family; you, me and Alex together. The way it's supposed to be," she answered his question.

"I can't believe it," Jack laughed happily as he lurched forward and pulled Martha into a tight embrace.

A soft sigh escaped Martha's lips as she felt a hot tingle course through her body. She loved the feeling of being in his arms. She felt protected and wanted.

"I love you so much," Jack kissed her neck lovingly.

Martha pulled away slightly and looked into Jack's eyes. "And I love you," she exclaimed.

Jack nodded, before dipping his head and brushing his lips against hers; wanting to confirm their love. Martha moaned into his mouth softly as her hands slid up his muscular back and rested on his shoulders; clinging onto him as though she was afraid her legs would give way.

After a few more intense minutes of passionate kisses, they eventually pulled away; gasping for air. Jack looked down at her as she smiled up at him. He cupped her face and traced her lips with his thumb softly while gazing into her blue eyes.

"So, I think we have a little catching up to do," Martha kissed him again.

"Mmmm," Jack grinned against her lips as he started to pull her back towards their room.

"Actually..," Martha started as she pushed her body into Jack's. "I'd like to think of it as more of a reminder. A reminder of what I've been missing out on," she panted as Jack started to trail his mouth down her throat.

"I'll remind you all right," Jack growled seductively as he nibbled on her skin.

Martha let out a squeal as Jack picked her up and carried her the rest of the way to the bedroom. He gently placed her on the bed, and gave the door a swift kick so that it would close.

"Now, where were we?" Jack smiled as he pounced.

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**NEXT CHAPTER: Uh Oh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**


	30. Chapter 30

**CHAPTER THIRTY**

"This is nice," Martha murmured as she placed a kiss into the palm of Jack's hand. "Waking up next to you I mean," she then added.

"I'm glad to hear it," Jack smiled at her. "And just think; you'll get to wake up next to me every morning for the rest of your life," he pointed.

"I think I can get used to that," Martha laughed.

It was morning; the morning after Martha had admitted that she loved Jack and wanted to give their marriage a shot. It really didn't matter to Martha that she couldn't remember everything that happened once before, but she had great confidence that it would all come back to her one day.

Jack was feeling the same. It still hurt that Martha couldn't remember their life together from before the accident, but in some ways it was a good thing. A new spark had been rekindled between them. It was like they were falling in love all over again. And Jack loved the feeling.

Martha rolled over and rested her chin on Jack's chest. She looked up and him and smiled shyly. "I'm glad that I decided to come clean. I'd hate to have seen what would have happened if I hadn't of come back to you," she said to him.

"Well, I'm not even going to think about it," Jack said back to her as he ran a hand down her bare back. "I've got you back now. You're mine again and that's all that matters," he exclaimed.

Martha sighed. "I'm sorry for being such a bitch these last couple of months," she apologized.

"Don't apologize. A bitchy Martha is hot," Jack laughed at her. "I liked it. A total turn on if you ask me," he wiggled an eye-brow at her.

"You are so dirty," Martha giggled. She paused for a moment before she started to smirk. She pulled herself up his body until they were face to face. "I like it," she whispered as she leant down and pressed her mouth against his in a hot kiss.

"I like it a lot," she hushed against his lips as she deepened the kiss; turning into some much more.

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"I can't believe its lunch time already," Martha said as she entered the kitchen; whilst brushing her now wet hair.

"We had a lot to catch up on," Jack turned around and winked at her.

"Tell me about it," Martha sighed happily as she gave him a quick peck on the lips. "I'm totally worn out," she added in a cheeky tone as she sat down at the kitchen bench.

Jack laughed before sitting down next to her. "I made us some toast and scrambled eggs," he told her as he pulled some plates towards them.

"Yummy. I'm famished," Martha exclaimed as she reached for her fork. She was just about to take her first bite when her mobile started to ring. "Who dares annoy me?" she muttered as she snatched the phone up. She looked at the caller I.D. It was Belle.

"Hey Belle," Martha answered the call.

"Mac, I need you to come to the hospital straight away," Belle cried down the phone.

A bad feeling appeared in Martha's gut. "Hey, hey, calm down," she soothed. "What's going on?" Martha asked.

"Irene's just woken up, and she's totally freaking out," Belle started to explain. "She keeps asking for you. She wants to see you," she cried.

Martha started to panic. Why on earth would Irene want to see her? "Okay, tell her I'll be there soon. Just let me finish getting ready, and I'll be there as soon as possible," she told Belle.

"Thank you," Belle exclaimed. "I'll see you soon," she added before hanging u the phone.

Martha placed her phone back on the bench and turned to look at Jack, who was watching her with a curious look on his face. "What's going on?" he wanted to know.

"It was Belle. Irene just woke up and apparently she wants to see me," Martha frowned. "I really don't understand why Irene would want to see me. I mean, you'd think she would want to be with Belle or something. It's weird. In fact everything has been weird lately. It's really starting to freak me out," she rubbed at her temples. She could feel a headache coming on.

"I'm sure there's a perfectly good explanation to why Irene wants to see you," Jack placed a hand on Martha's back and started to rub in a soothing motion. "You should probably get going. It does sound pretty important," he added.

Martha nodded. "Yeah, I'll go now," she agreed as she stood up. "What are you going to do while I'm gone?" she then asked Jack.

Jack let out a loud groan before standing up. "I think I may have to go and speak to Joy," he answered Martha.

Martha tensed up at the sound of Joy's name. "I forgot about her," she stated; not even able to look Jack in the eye.

"Hey," Jack cupped Martha's chin and made her look up at him. "Nothing ever happened between us," he told her.

"Not even a kiss?" Martha was curious. She was really scared of what the answer would be.

Jack shook his head. "Nothing," he told her again. "I would never betray you," he touched her cheek softly.

"But we weren't together," Martha pointed out.

"But I still loved you, and that never wavered. I wasn't going to risk losing you for good," Jack explained,

Martha smiled at him. "So you were just friends?" she exclaimed.

"From my end; yes," Jack said. "But I think she wanted something more, and that's why I'm going go and see her and explain everything. I don't want to lead her on and let her think that there could be something between us," he sighed.

"Okay," Martha nodded. "Well, I'd better go and you'd better go and see Joy. I'll give you a call when I'm on my home, and we can meet up somewhere and then go and pick up Alex," she suggested.

"Sounds good," Jack agreed as he leant down and kissed her softly. "I love you," he told her.

"I love you too," Martha kissed him back. She then quickly pulled away and grabbed her phone and bag. "See you later," she waved as she left the house.

Jack walked to the front door and watched as she pulled out of the drive way. He stood there and watched until the car was out of sight. He smiled to himself as he walked back inside. Everything was perfect now. He had Martha back. They could finally be a real family again. And nobody was going to ruin that for him.

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Martha rushed down the hall towards Irene's room. She spotted Belle, pacing back and forth.

"Martha," Belle sighed in exasperation when noticed her walking towards her. "Thank god you're here. Irene's waiting," she pushed her towards the door.

"Can you please tell me what is going on?" Martha was frustrated.

"I don't know," Belle shrugged. "Irene wouldn't tell me anything. She just wants to see you. That's all I know. She's totally freaking out Martha," she cried.

"Okay, okay," Martha placed a reassuring hand on Belle's shoulder. "I'll go and talk to her and find out what's going on," she said as she placed her hand on the door handle; giving it a soft push. She walked into Irene's room; closing the door behind her.

"What took you so long girlie?" Irene was clearly upset.

"Irene, what the hell is going on? Why do you want to see me so bad?" Martha fired questions at her.

"Did you see her? Did she follow you here?" Irene only threw more questions back at her.

"Who? What are you talking about?" Martha was starting to worry.

"He's using her to get to us," Irene cried. "He may be locked up, but he's using her to get to us," she blathered on.

"Irene. Who?" Martha yelled at her.

"Corey," Irene looked up at her with scared eyes. "He still wants us dead Martha," she added.

"Corey?" Martha's face paled. "But he's in prison," she stuttered.

Irene nodded in understanding. "Yes, he is. But his mother isn't…………."

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**NEXT CHAPTER: Martha finally remembers what really happened to her?**


	31. Chapter 31

**CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE**

"I need to sit down. My head is spinning a million miles an hour," Martha took a few steps forward and sat down at the end of Irene's hospital bed.

"How do you think I felt when the woman turned up on my door step?" Irene ranted.

Martha blocked Irene's voice out as she lowered her face into her hands. She rubbed at her temples; her headache hitting full force now. "This is insane. It's crazy," she muttered.

"I'm not crazy," Irene cried out. "You all thought I was crazy the last time, but then look what happened; you and I were nearly killed. And now it's all happening again," she continued.

"I'm not saying you are crazy," Martha reached out and patted Irene's hand. "I believe you; I do. I just don't want to believe it. I don't want this to be happening. I've just got everything back on track and now someone is trying to ruin it all again," she was beginning to get quite upset.

"I didn't want to frighten you. I just wanted you to know, so that you could watch your back," Irene apologized. "She already got to you once. I'd hate to see that happen again," she added.

Martha was confused. "What do you mean 'she already got to me once'?" she asked. She certainly didn't like where this was headed.

"She was the one who hurt you Martha," Irene began. "She's the reason you were in a coma. She caused your memory loss. She told me what she done to you when she turned up on my doorstep," she continued.

"Oh my god," Martha raised her hands to her lips. She couldn't believe that this was happening.

"I nearly had a heart attack when she told me who she was," Irene started to explain to her. "She pushed her way into the house and started taunting me; about what she'd done to you and how she was planning on getting rid of you and me. And how she was doing it all for her son. I managed to get outside and got into my car. I drove off, but she was close behind me. Of course by then, it was already too late for me. She'd already messed with my brakes, and before I knew it I was I was heading for a tree," she trailed off.

"You must have been so scared," Martha exclaimed in a sad voice.

"I was," Irene nodded. "But now, all I want you to do is go to the police and tell them. Tell them everything I told you, and hopefully they'll be able to find her and lock her up," she said to Martha.

"I'll go now," Martha sat up.

Irene lurched forward and took hold of Martha's hand; squeezing it. "Be careful Martha. She's dangerous. She could be anywhere. She could be your new best friend, or the nice new lady in town. Don't trust anyone," she warned.

Martha smiled at her. "I'll be careful," she promised.

She pulled away and left Irene's room; coming face to face with an anxious Belle. "Well?" Belle demanded to know.

"I'm going to the police station. Don't leave Irene alone," Martha ordered as she walked past in a bit of a daze.

"Why are you going to the police? What's going on Mac?" Belle was clearly upset.

"Irene will explain it all," Martha kept walking and didn't bother turning back to look at Belle.

Fine," Belle huffed as she stormed into Irene's room; demanding an explanation.

Martha walked down the hospital corridor, with many different thoughts going through her head. This whole thing was just so confusing. As she left the hospital and headed for her car, something Irene had just said popped back into her head. _She's dangerous. She could be anywhere. She could be your new best friend, or the nice new lady in town. Don't trust anyone._

Martha suddenly came to a realization. That woman from the hospital café! The one who seemed so familiar; it was her. Martha came to a halt. She gasped out loud when it all came flooding back to her. She remembered. She remembered that day as if it was just yesterday.

_**Months Earlier**_

_Martha was so angry. She couldn't believe the nerve of Brett Macklin; her father. How dare he just turn up on her doorstep like that, and expect her to just forgive him and welcome him with open arms. He'd treated her like something off the bottom of his shoe. He'd tried his damn well hardest to destroy the town, and had even attempted to kill Josie Russell. She couldn't forgive him. She didn't think she ever could._

_She didn't care that he claimed he was a changed man. That prison had changed him. She didn't care if he begged to see her daughter; his only grandchild. He didn't deserve anything from her. She didn't owe him anything._

_A knock at the door broke through Martha's thoughts. Presuming that it was her father back for another round of begging, she yelled out. "I thought I told you to get lost," she cried as she spun around. She was surprised when she found that it wasn't her father, but a woman._

"_Oh, I'm sorry. I thought you were someone else," Martha apologized as she walked to the door._

"_Quite alright," the woman exclaimed._

_The cold blank look on her face didn't go un-noticed to Martha. It was making her feel extremely uncomfortable. "Can I help you with something?" she asked her._

"_Are you Martha Mackenzie?" the woman asked her._

"_I used to be, but I got married. Its Martha Holden now," Martha told her._

"_As in Jack Holden; the copper?" the woman scoffed. "Typical. He predicted that you would run back to him," she laughed as she stepped inside and towards Martha._

"_What are you talking about? Who are you?" Martha was beginning to get scared. There was something about this woman that she did not like one bit._

"_My name is Karen," the woman responded._

"_Well, I don't know you, so I think that you should leave," Martha tried to sound confident. "Besides, my husband will be home soon," she added._

_Karen laughed. "I don't care you little bitch," she sneered. "I'm not going anywhere until I'm ready," she pointed out as she moved even closer towards Martha._

"_Get out of my house," Martha yelled. "Please just leave me alone," she begged. By now, Martha was in full panic mode. All she could think about was Alex; who was asleep in her cot in the other room. What if this woman had come to take Alex? Martha couldn't bare the thought of something happening to her._

_Karen suddenly lunged at Martha; grabbing her by the shoulders. "Why are you doing this?" Martha screamed as she struggled to get away from Karen. "I didn't do anything to you. I don't even know you," she cried._

"_You knew my son," Karen shook Martha. "And because of you, and Jack Holden and that stupid woman Irene Roberts; he's in prison for life. You all took him away from me, and now you're all going to pay," she snarled at Martha._

"_Corey?" Martha immediately knew whom she was talking about._

"_Two points," Karen giggled. "This is for him," she added as she gave Martha one final push._

_Martha fell backwards; letting out a scream on her way down. She hit her head and soon everything faded to black………………._

Martha shuddered at the memory. How could she forget something so important; so horrible? Corey's mother! She was in town and she was coming for her. Martha knew that it wouldn't be long until she wanted to finish off what she had started.

Martha reached her car and slumped against it. She felt so sick to the stomach; she wanted to vomit. She slid to the ground and started to cry. There was only one thing going through her mind now. Brett. Her father; she had accused him of something awful. And now, because of her, he was back in prison.

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"You and Martha are back together?" Joy looked at Jack in sadness.

Jack felt awful. But this had to be done. "Yes, we are," he nodded. "I'm sorry if you think that I led you on or anything, because it wasn't my intention to hurt you or anything like that," he explained.

"Too late," Joy muttered. "But I guess I should have seen this coming. My brother tried to warn me, but I wouldn't listen to him. I didn't want to believe that you were still in love with her. I should have realized when you never tried to kiss me or anything," she laughed a little.

Jack smiled. "I'm glad you're not chasing after me with an axe or something," he laughed.

"I'm not a nutcase if that's what you're thinking," Joy pointed out with a grin. "I'm just, not the type of person to stand in the way of true love. And that's clearly what you and Martha have. You've been through so much, but you still manage to find a way back to each other. If that's not true love then I don't know what is," she said to him.

"Thank you for understanding," Jack exclaimed.

Joy nodded. "I just hope that I can find that kind of love one day," she told him. "Besides, it wouldn't have worked out between us anyway. I'm going back home in a few day, soooo," she trailed off with a small smile.

"Listen, since I broke your heart and all," Jack started with a joke. "I'd like to invite you and your brother over for dinner at our place. Martha and I would love to have the both of you over. How about we organize for the night before you leave?" he suggested.

"That sounds great," Joy accepted the invitation.

Jack was about to speak again when his phone started to ring. According to his caller ID it was Martha. "Speaking of Martha," he waved his phone in the air.

"I'll let you go," Joy laughed. "Just give us a call and let us know the full details about the dinner," she added as she started to walk away.

"Bye," Jack waved her off before answering his phone. "Hey Martha," he smiled sweetly into the phone.

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Martha kept her eyes trained on the road in front of her as she waited for Jack to answer his phone. She knew she shouldn't be talking and riving at the same time, but right now she didn't care.

"Hey Martha," Jack's sweet voice answered at the other end.

"Jack, I've done something really awful," she cried. "It wasn't my dad who hurt me. But now he's in prison, and it's all because of me," she continued.

"Martha, what's going on?" Jack sounded worried.

Martha sighed; wiping at her tears before she continued to speak. "Remember that woman at the hospital last night? The one who I said looked really familiar? It was her Jack. She was the one at the house that day. I remember everything," she explained to him.

"Oh my god," Jack muttered through the phone; clearly in shock.

"That's not all Jack," Martha began again. "Her name is Karen. She's Corey's mother," she cried.

"Are kidding me?" Jack's voice went hard.

"I wish I was," Martha tried to laugh. "But, I'm on my way to the police station now. She was the one who caused Irene's accident too. So she's come for me and Irene and it won't be long until she makes another appearance," she told Jack.

"I'm walking to my car, so I'll meet you there," Jack then said. "I'll see you soon".

"Okay, bye," Martha said in return. "I love you," she added before hanging up the phone.

Martha chucked her phone down onto the seat beside her. She looked up into the review mirror to check to see if her mascara had smudged from her tears, but the only thing she noticed was a car speeding up behind her; a car which was now getting a little too close for comfort.

Before she could do anything about it, the other car was tapping her from behind. "Oh my god," Martha screamed.

Martha inched the car forward a bit more, but this only made the other driver more determined. The car sped up, and smashed into her side. Martha lost control of the wheel and her car went spinning out of control; sending her straight into a tree with a loud crash.

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**NEXT CHAPTER: Is Martha okay?**


	32. Chapter 32

**CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO**

Martha groaned in pain as she lifted her head away from the steering wheel. Her head felt as though someone had just slammed it into a concrete wall. After a few moments of trying to figure out where she was, she remembered what had just happened. Someone had just pushed her off the road.

Moving her hand down to her left, she undone her seatbelt and then pulled at the door handle; opening it. Her head was throbbing and the whole world seemed to be spinning as she stepped out onto the gravel. She took a few steps to the side before eventually falling to the ground in defeat.

"Get up," a voice snarled at her.

Martha lifted her head and watched as a female walked towards her. Due to the blurriness of her vision, Martha wasn't quite sure who it was at first. But as the woman got closer; there was no mistaken who it was.

"Karen," Martha cried as she tried to pull herself along the ground and away from Karen. "Please stay away from me," she begged.

Karen laughed at Martha's misfortune. "Why would I do that you stupid silly girl," she grinned as she looked down over Martha. "I'm assuming that you've got most of your memory back, as you now seem to remember who I am," she then added.

"You're crazy," Martha snapped at her.

"No, I'm just pissed off," Karen glared at her. "Now get up," she reached down and scruffed at Martha's jacket; pulling her up to her feet.

"No," Martha shook her head and tried pull away.

"Yes," Karen started to drag Martha towards her car; which was parked only meters away.

"Where are you taking me?" Martha cried out as she struggled to get away.

"Just someplace where you and I can a have a nice long chat," Karen sneered.

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"Bye dad," Jack hung up his phone and dropped it onto the passenger seat. He'd just been on the phone explaining to his father, that he wouldn't be able to pick Alex up until later. He'd also filled him in on the recent development; Corey's mother.

After getting off the phone with Martha, Jack immediately got in his car and headed towards the police station; where he had arranged to meet Martha. He was in total shock; he couldn't believe that it was Corey's mother who had been doing all of this. She'd come to his home and had hurt his wife, and then went on to hurt Irene.

Jack never thought in a million years, that he and Martha would come across Corey again. Well, it wasn't him; it was his mother. But still; Corey was involved. The whole Corey caper had been something that Martha, Irene and himself had put behind them. It was something that they had never wanted to think about or worry about again. But now, when they had least expected it; it had raised its ugly head again. Martha and Irene were in just as much danger as they had been the first time.

Jack was only about five minutes away from the police station, when he spotted something that made his blood run cold; Martha's car smashed up against a tree. He slammed on his brakes and pulled the car to a stop. He leapt from his car and bolted towards Martha's.

"Martha," he cried out as he got closer. "No, No, No," he muttered to himself. This could not be happening. He had only just got her back.

"Martha," he yelled out again when he reached the car. He braced himself for something awful, but was shocked when he found nothing. Martha wasn't there; she was gone.

"What the hell," he was confused.

But then he spotted it; the blood. It was smeared across the steering wheel. He reached out and dabbed his finger in it. It was still warm. He looked to the ground and spotted more blood; tiny droplets, leading away from the car. He followed the trail until it stopped only a few meters away from Martha's car.

There were tire marks on the ground, so Jack could only guess that she had gotten into another car. And now, Jack had a bad feeling about whose car it may have been. There was no way that Martha's accident had been just that; an accident. Someone had hurt her, and then taken her. He could feel it in his bones; Martha was in trouble.

And he knew exactly who she was with; Corey's mother.

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**NEXT CHAPTER: What will Karen do with Martha?**

**PLEASE REVIEW**


	33. Chapter 33

**CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE**

Jack was at the police station; pacing back and forth from one side of the room to the other. He was surrounded by his father, Beth, Alf, Ric, Lucas and Mattie; all of them just as distraught as Jack. They couldn't believe what was happening.

"Come on Jack; you just need to calm down for a second," Tony urged at his son.

Jack paused on the spot and turned to glare at his father. "Calm down? You want me to calm down?" he spat out. "Martha's been taken by some nutcase. I can't calm down," he added.

Tony let out a loud sigh as Alex, who he was rocking in his arms, started to cry. "If you can't calm down for your sake, then maybe you can for Alex's. She may only be a baby, but she'd not stupid Jack. She can feel your distress, and it's upsetting her. She knows that something is going on," he explained to his son.

Jack reached out his arms and started to pry his daughter from Tony's arms. "Give her to me please," he almost demanded.

He took Alex in his arms and hugged her tightly to his chest. He cupped the back of her head and placed a soft kiss on her brow. "I'm sorry Joey. I just miss mummy and I want her back. I know you do too," he whispered so only she could here his soothing words.

"Look Jack; we know you're worried, but the rest of us too. We just need to be strong and stay positive," Tony rested his hand on Jack's shoulder.

"I know," Jack nodded in understanding. "But I just got her back dad. We're a family again. I can't lose her," he exclaimed.

"Wait, you and Martha are back together?" Mattie butted in.

"Yeah," Jack answered. "Last night, she decided that she wanted to give it a go. She's been remembering a lot of things lately, so a lot of her old feelings are returning," he explained.

"Well that's great," Tony smiled warmly.

Jack scoffed. "Yeah, well it's not going to matter if she's dead, is it?" he pointed out.

"She's not going to die," Alf snapped at him. "So stop talking as though she already is," he growled.

"Alright folks; lets not fight," McGrath said as he stepped out of his office. "Unfortunately, I have some bad news for you," he then added.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Jack was worried.

"It just means that we have no idea where she is," McGrath exclaimed. "We've called all the hotels, resorts and motels in the area asking if they have a Karen Henderson in one of their rooms, but so far we've come up with nothing. I've got everybody out searching from top to bottom," he told the group.

"So what's next then?" Alf wanted to know. "How are we going to find my granddaughter?"

Jack knew what had to be done. And right now, it was their best option. "I have to go to the prison," he spoke up.

"Why on earth do you need to go there?" McGrath was a little confused.

"Because that's where Corey is," Jack answered. "He's the reason why this is all happening. He'll have all the answers".

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Karen scruffed at Martha; pulling her from the car and out onto the hard ground. Martha winced and yet out a small yelp as a rock broke through the skin on her hand. Blood soon started spilling from the cut; and into the dirt.

Martha didn't like this place. The view might have been nice, but she hated heights. And for someone who was afraid of heights; a cliff face wasn't the greatest place to be. Martha was well aware of where she was. As soon as Karen had pulled up there, Martha had recognized the place. She'd been there before; with Corey. It was the very place that he had tried to kill her.

There was no doubt that Corey had told his mother about this place, and that was why Karen had brought her here. Martha watched as Karen produced a few ropes from the car. Panicking, she quickly stood up and tried to run. But Karen was having none of that.

"Not so fast missy," Karen sneered as she flashed a gun in front of Martha.

Martha halted at the sight of the gun. She wasn't too keen on having a bullet implanted into her body. "Okay," Martha raised her hands in defeat. "I'm not going anywhere," she promised.

"That's a good girl," Karen smiled as she grabbed at Martha; spinning her around. She held Martha's hands together and quickly tied the ropes around her wrists; bounding her tightly. "That's to make sure that you don't go anywhere too quickly," Karen said as she pushed Martha to the ground again.

Martha looked up that insane woman through her tear filled eyes. "I didn't do anything to you. Why? Why are you doing this to me?" she cried. "Why?" she pleaded to know.

Karen started to laugh. She got down on her hands and knees in front of Martha and crawled towards her so that they were face to face. "Why? Why? You want to know why?" she squealed. "I'll tell you why Miss Thing," she said sarcastically in a high pitched tone of voice.

Martha averted her eye away from Karen. She couldn't bear to look this woman in the face. She frightened her. She was ready to admit that this woman scared her death.

"You took my son away from me. You're the reason why he is locked up in that horrid place," Karen started. "You. Your stupid husband and that snot of a woman Irene Roberts; you put my Corey in that place. I'll never get to hold my boy again. He's my baby. My only boy. And you all took him when I needed him the most," she ranted like a crazy woman.

"Corey was a bad person," Martha cried. "He was hurting people. He needed to be stopped," she tried to talk sense to Karen.

"How dare you," Karen roared as she raised her palm and slapped Martha clean around the face.

The sound of Karen's palm slapping against Martha's cheek echoed through the air. Martha fell backwards at the impact. The only sounds that could be heard now, were the soft whimpers that emitted from Martha's lips.

"Maybe that will teach you to keep your mouth shut," Karen said to her as she stood up and walked back towards the car. "I'll give you a few minutes alone to think about what you just said. Then I'll come back and see if you're willing to be a good girl," she added.

With her hands tied behind her back, Martha couldn't sit back up. So she had to put up with the dirt that she was now lying in. And most important; she had to keep her mouth shut. Who knew what Karen was capable of?

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**Next chapter: Jack speaks with Corey.**

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	34. Chapter 34

**CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR**

Jack stood at the door; watching Corey from a distance. He sat hunched at a table, and his hands were in cuffs and he had two police officers standing on either side of him; keeping him in place. Jack took in his appearance; noting that he looked rather thin and gaunt.

Jack took a step into the room; McGrath close behind him. Corey looked up; acknowledging them with a wide grin.

"Well, look what the cats dragged in. Two of my most favorite people in the world," Corey laughed. "What do I own this pleasure?" he asked.

"You know why we're Corey," McGrath exclaimed as he sat down across from him. He for one was not in the mood for playing games.

"What, no hello for me Jack?" Corey sneered as Jack sat down next to McGrath.

"Like you really deserve one," Jack stared him down.

"You know, I'm sensing a lot of hostility coming from you Jack," Corey faked a sigh. "I kinda get the feeling that you don't like me very much," he laughed.

"That's coz I don't," Jack glared across at Corey. "Now cut the crap and tell me where she is," he demanded.

"Who?" Corey looked away; clearly uninterested. "I really have no idea who you're talking about," he yawned.

"Look, we didn't come here to play games with you Corey," McGrath's voice hardened. "Just tell us where Martha is, and then we'll leave," he added.

"Martha. Martha. Martha," Corey breathed out. "How is the hottest girl in Summer Bay going?" he asked with a smirk; directing the question at Jack.

Jack clenched his fists tight; his nails starting to dig into his palm. He knew that Corey was just trying to rile him up, but it still got to him, hearing Corey speak about Martha like that. The only way he could let the anger pass would be to beat Corey at his own game.

"Martha's fine. Happily married to me in fact," Jack grinned across at Corey. "We have a baby too, but I guess you already know that," he added.

"Happy? I think not," Corey laughed. "Last time I checked, Martha didn't remember you or the life you had together," he pointed out.

Jack took his turn to laugh. "Well, the last time I checked, which by the way was this morning after a night of hot sex, she remembered. I guess she just remembered how hot I could make her, and she just couldn't resist me anymore," Jack took pleasure in watching Corey squirm as he spoke.

Hearing a slight cough from beside him, Jack turned his head to face McGrath. "We didn't come here to talk about your sex life Holden," McGrath told him.

"Sorry," Jack said sheepishly.

"So Corey, I'll ask you again; where's Martha?" McGrath asked.

Corey smiled again; this time from ear to ear. "So, mummy dearest finally took her, didn't she?" it was a statement not a question. "What a shame," he added with no remorse whatsoever.

"Your mother is a nutcase," Jack exclaimed in anger.

"Jack, stop it," McGrath scolded.

"It's true," Jack yelled at his boss before turning to look back at Corey. "Your mother is insane and needs to be locked up. Like mother, like son, right?" he sneered.

Corey's lip curled up into a snarl. "Keep talking to me like that and you'll never see your precious Martha again," he warned. "And that daughter of yours; she'll be next," he continued with his taunting.

All Jack could see was red. He flew up out of his seat and lurched across the table at Corey; slamming his fist into his face. "You son of a bitch," Jack screamed as McGrath pulled him away from Corey. "You ever threaten my daughter like that again, and it'll be the last thing you or your mother ever do. You understand that Corey? If that crazy mother of yours hurts Martha in any way; I'll have no qualms about putting a bullet into her chest, got it?" he spat out.

Corey scoffed at Jack. "Martha will be dead and my mother will be long gone by the time you even find them," he said harshly.

"Where is she?" Jack tried to launch himself at Corey once more, but was pulled back by McGrath again. "Tell me," he was starting to lose it.

"You're the insane one if you think that I'd ever tell you," Corey laughed in his face as he stood up. "Take me back to my cell. Now," he ordered. "I have nothing else to say," he said coldly.

"Take him," McGrath nodded at the two officers.

"No, he hasn't told us where Martha is yet," Jack was starting to get pissed off. "You can't let him go yet," he yelled at his boss.

"Jack, he's not going to tell us anything," McGrath exclaimed. "There's no point in us sitting here with him when we know full well he'll never tell us. We're better off back at the station," he pointed out.

Jack hung his head in defeat. He couldn't believe this. He had really thought that Corey would do a decent thing and tell him where Martha was, but he was so wrong. Corey was still the same person that he was the last time Jack seen him. He held no sympathy or remorse for anyone. He didn't care whose life was ruined.

"Hey Jacky," Corey's voice broke through Jack's downer on himself.

Jack looked up at him with hate in his eyes. He honestly wanted this man to rot in hell. "What?" he spat out.

"Is Martha still afraid of heights?" Corey sniggered.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Jack glared at him.

"I'll let you figure that one out," Corey sneered one last time before being led from the room.

So many thoughts were going through Jack's mind. Corey's last words to him held some meaning, he juts knew it. Corey knew exactly where Martha was, and he was taunting Jack with it by giving it to him in a question.

The first thing that popped into Jack's mind was the cliffs where he and Martha had shared their first kiss. But Corey didn't know about that place, so the cliffs were out of the equation.

But then suddenly it clicked. "I know where she is?" Jack shot out.

"What? How could you possibly know?" McGrath was confused.

"Martha's afraid of heights," Jack started. "Remember that cliff face where Corey had Martha the last time. What better place do take Martha, than the last place her son seen her?" he explained.

"Not bad," McGrath praised Jack. "But don't get your hopes up. Your hunch could be wrong," he pointed out.

"I know that," Jack said as he headed from the room. "But let's hurry. We don't have anytime to waste. And no sirens either. If Karen hears them, she might panic and take off with Martha," he told McGrath.

"Let's go then," McGrath led the way.

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	35. Chapter 35

**CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE**

Martha shivered in the cold. The wind was strong up on the cliff face, and Martha's hair was whipping at her face. Due to the restraints on her hands, she couldn't even wrap her arms around herself to warm herself up. She looked over at Karen, who was sitting on a nearby rock; flicking through a magazine. Martha felt a little relieved as Karen now didn't have the gun on her. She'd left it on the front seat of her car.

"What are we doing here?" she asked her. "We've been sitting here for over two hours doing nothing," Martha added.

Karen laughed, but didn't look up from her magazine. "I'm debating on whether or not I'm going to throw you off the side of that cliff, or just take you some place else where you can wait out your impending death," she answered her.

Martha lowered her head and started to cry. She was going to die. She wasn't going to see her family ever again. She wasn't going to get to hold her husband or her daughter in her arms ever again. Thinking of Alex sent her even further over the edge. The tears slipped down her cheeks as sobs started to wrack her body.

Karen stood up from the rock and threw her magazine in the dirt. "It doesn't feel very good, does it?" she spat out as she stepped towards Martha and leant down in front of her. "Being separated from the people you love. Thinking that you'll never get to see them or hold them again," she reached out and brushed Martha's hair away from her face.

Martha flicked her head away from Karen's touch. She couldn't stand the thought of this woman's hands on her. "Don't touch me," she snarled at Karen.

"You're not in the position to be demanding things Martha," Karen sniggered.

Martha kept her eyes down. She didn't dare to look at Karen.

"Now, where were we? Oh yes, the people you love," Karen started again. "I bet your thinking about your daughter right now. Am I right? It hurts doesn't it? It's painful to think that you'll never get to see or hold you baby in your arms again. Now you know how I feel. Now you know how I felt when my baby was taken away from me; my Corey. He's in that horrid place and they won't even let me touch my own son," she was growing angrier by the minute.

"But that wasn't my fault," Martha cried out. "Corey was hurting people. He tried to kill me. He was put in prison so he couldn't hurt anyone else," she tried to reason with Karen.

"I don't care what you think. Those people deserved what they got. They took my husband from me. They sent him to prison and they drove him to the point where he couldn't stand to live anymore," Karen ranted on. "They needed to be punished. And Corey did just that. He gave them what they deserved," she exclaimed.

"No wonder Corey went crazy," Martha snapped. "With a mother like you; who wouldn't?" she held her head high.

"That's it. I've had enough of your back chat," Karen grabbed Martha and pulled at her roughly. She quickly untied the ropes that bounded Martha's hands and then scruffed her to her feet. "Get up. I'm going to end this now. Once and for all," she growled as she started to drag Martha towards the edge of the cliff.

Panic started to fill Martha's body as she struggled with Karen. She flung her arms and kicked at her feet as she screamed out for help.

"Help," she screamed at the top of her lungs. "Somebody help me," she cried out.

"Nobody can hear you. Nobody knows that we're here," Karen swung her fist at Martha's face and sent her flying to the ground. "So just stop fighting me and let the inevitable happen".

Martha clutched at her face as she lifted her head to look at Karen. She towered above Martha and looked down at her as though she was an ant, about to be stepped on. Martha used her hands and feet to push herself along the ground and away from Karen.

"You're not going anywhere you little bitch," Karen snarled as she lunged at Martha and grabbed her by the hair and started to drag her back to the edge again. "Actually, scratch that. The only place you'll be going is over the edge," she laughed maliciously.

This is it, Martha thought to herself. This is the end. It's all over for me. "Please, don't do this," she begged at Karen. "Please, I'm begging you to let me go," the tears were freely falling down her face now.

"Begging is not going to get you anywhere," Karen said to her as they both reached the edge. "Now, this won't hurt. It will be over in a se…..," she started but was cut off by roaring voice.

"Martha…….

Karen stopped what she was doing and both women spun around to see who it was. Martha felt relief wash over her when she spotted Jack and McGrath standing only a few meters away. And even better, McGrath had his gun at the ready.

"Jack," Martha cried out as she reached a hand out to him.

"Let the girl go, and put your hands in the air," McGrath demanded.

Karen let out a high pitched laugh and shook her head as she tightened her grip on Martha. "No, this is all ends today. She needs to be punished," as she pulled Martha even closer to the edge.

"Let her go, please," Jack begged.

"If you don't let Martha go, I will have to shoot you Mrs. Henderson," McGrath warned her. "I don't want to have to do that," he added.

"No," Karen exclaimed. "No, I will not".

Martha looked back at her husband and she could see the fear clear in his face. He was just as frightened as she was. She didn't want to be the cause of his pain. So, she knew she had to fight for her life. Knowing what she had to do, she stomped her foot down hard on Karen's own foot.

Karen let out a loud wail and loosened her grip on Martha. Martha then took the chance to try and step away from Karen. But Karen wasn't stupid. She latched onto Martha again and a struggle ensued.

As the two women struggled Jack and McGrath ran towards them. Karen had a firm grip on Martha's arm and was taking her closer and closer back towards the edge. Martha gave a hard tug at her arm and Karen went flying forward; letting Martha go. Martha took a step back and watched as Karen also straightened herself up. Relief washed over Martha, but that relief was soon gone.

Karen's face was tinged with anger. She let out a growl as she took another step at Martha. But then that relief that Martha had felt only seconds before disappeared. And it was replaced with a look of horror.

Everything in Martha's eyes went into slow motion. She watched as Karen lost her footing and her balance. The older woman's piercing screams echoed through Martha's ears as she toppled backwards and over the edge of the cliff.

"No," Martha cried out as she lunged forward and tried to grab hold of the woman. But her efforts were for nothing.

It was too late. Karen was gone.

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	36. Chapter 36

**CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX**

Martha felt a strong pair of hands wrap around her waist and pull her back; away from the edge.

"Martha," Jack's voice whispered in her ear. "You're okay now. It's all over," he soothed.

"Jack," Martha started to cry as she turned in his arms to face him. "She, she fell," she stuttered. "She fell over the edge. She's dead," she added with a whimper.

"I know," Jack cupped her face. "Let's go back to the car. Get you warmed up, okay," he suggested as he cupped her face.

Martha just nodded and let Jack lead her to the police car. As they walked away, Martha turned back to look at the cliff face. McGrath was standing there; looking over the edge whilst talking on his mobile phone. "She fell," Martha muttered again.

"Hey, it's not your fault," Jack helped her into the passenger side seat. "It was an accident. She lost her balance and she tripped," he assured her.

Martha nodded. She knew it wasn't her fault. "I know that. But what a horrible way to die," she started. "That could have been me Jack. She tried to push me over the edge," she whispered.

"I'm just thanking god that it wasn't you," Jack brushed her hair away from her face. "I don't know what I would have done if something had happened to you," he gently leant forward and placed a soft kiss on her lips.

Martha let out a small smile and pulled him in for a warm hug. She felt so safe now with his arms holding her tightly. She then pulled away and looked at him. "I want to see Alex," she told him.

"Of course," Jack nodded as he grabbed the seat belt and buckled Martha in. "I just have to go and have a word with McGrath and then we'll go to the station. That's where the others are waiting for us," he explained.

He gave her another kiss before closing the door and walking back over towards McGrath. "Martha wants to see Alex. Do you mind if I take her back now?" he asked his boss.

"Yeah, sure," McGrath nodded in Jack's direction. "I'll be fine here by myself until the team get here. I've just been on the phone organizing for some people to come up and get Mrs. Henderson. I think they'll have to go down the side of the cliff to get her," he explained to Jack.

"It's not going to be a pretty sight," Jack sighed.

"No, it won't," McGrath agreed. "But don't you worry about that. Just get Martha back to the station so she can be with her daughter. I'll give you a call and let you know how everything unfolds," he said to Jack.

Jack gave a short nod and then slowly turned; making his way back to the car.

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Martha sat curled up in a chair; Alex resting gently against her chest. She was so glad to be back with her daughter. The thought of never seeing her again had been scary. She never wanted to feel like that again.

Martha sat alone in McGrath's office with Alex; waiting for Jack to come in with a hot drink. He'd been gone for a while now, and she wanted him to hurry up and get back to her. As if he had heard her wishes, Jack soon returned.

"Hey," Jack whispered as he sat down in the chair next to her. "I made you a coffee," he placed her hot drink on the desk.

"Are we allowed to go home soon?" Martha asked him.

"Yeah, we'll head off shortly," Jack answered. "I've already sent dad and the others home. As soon as McGrath gets back, we'll go home and we can put Alex to bed," he told her.

Martha nodded in acceptance. "So, what did McGrath have to say when he called you before?" she was curious.

Jack sighed before answering Martha's question. "They found Karen's body," he told her as he looked won at the floor.

"Oh," Martha said in a hushed tone. "I never wanted her to die Jack. I never wanted any of this to happen," her eyes started to well up with tears again.

"I know that," Jack squeezed her hand. "None of us wanted it to end this way," he pointed out.

"How did you find me?" Martha suddenly spoke again.

"We went and spoke to Corey," Jack replied.

Martha's gaze snapped onto Jack's at the mention of Corey's name. "He actually told you where I was?" she was in disbelief.

"No, he didn't," Jack growled. "He spent the whole time goading me on. But just before he left the room, he made some snide remark about you being afraid of heights. After that it just kind of clicked," he explained to Martha.

Martha gave him a sweet smile as she reached out and cupped his cheek with one of her hands. "You're so smart," she exclaimed with a teasing tone. "My smart, handsome man," she grinned.

"Shut up," Jack laughed as he leant forward and quickly kissed her cheek. He then looked down at Alex, and smiled at her tiny frame. He placed his hand on her head and combed her soft girls away from her eyes as she slept. "I'm so lucky to have you two," he looked up into Martha's eyes.

"I love you," Martha told him.

"I love you more," Jack smiled as he leant across and placed his mouth on hers. Their lips lingered as they shared a soft and tender kiss.

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Martha wrapped her warm woolen robe around her body, before picking up her comb and walking out into the lounge room. She unwrapped the towel from around her head and then hung it over a chair. She used the comb to gently brush out the knots in her wet hair.

She walked over to the couch were Jack was waiting for her; fresh from his own shower. "I made us some sandwiches," he said as Martha sat down next to him.

Martha curled up beside him and rested her head on his chest. "Alex is asleep?" she asked Jack.

"Yep, like a baby," Jack laughed.

"You're so funny," Martha said sarcastically.

"Hey," Jack tried to sound offended, but couldn't pull it off.

They sat in silence for a few moments; slowly eating the sandwiches that Jack had previously made. "What's happening with my dad?" Martha suddenly asked.

Jack swallowed the mouthful of food that he had in his mouth and then straightened himself up into a proper sitting position. "They're releasing him as soon as possible," he answered Martha.

"So, he'll be out before tonight?" Martha looked at him hopefully.

"Yeah," Jack nodded as he looked at Martha's discomfort. "You shouldn't feel bad Martha. You were just going with what you remembered," he said to her as he placed a hand on her knee.

"I accused him of something so awful Jack. I screwed up and he got sent back to prison for something he didn't even do," Martha was clearly upset.

"He won't blame you. He knows that it wasn't your fault," Jack reassured her.

"How can you be so sure?" Martha frowned.

"Well, the only way you'll know for sure is if you speak to him," Jack told her.

"I know," Martha sighed. "Do you think you could give him call in the morning and ask if he'll meet with me?" she asked Jack.

"Of course I will," Jack smiled at her. "Does this mean that you'll be willing to give your relationship with your father another chance?" he was curious.

Martha shrugged. "I don't know yet. I guess it's something I'll have to think about before I see him tomorrow," she flopped back down onto Jack's chest. But right now, all I want to do is sit here with you. I just want to be with you," she hushed.

"I like that," Jack wrapped his arms around her tighter as she snuggled into him.

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**FINAL CHAPTER: What decision will Martha make about her relationship with Brett?**

**PLEASE REVIEW.**


	37. Chapter 37

**Hey all. Well, here it is; the last chapter. Hope you enjoy!!!!!!!!!!!!!**

**CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN**

"He should be here soon," Jack exclaimed as he took Martha's hand.

Martha took a deep breath and nodded. Jack had organized for her father to pop around to the house before he headed off back to the city. She was nervous about seeing him. She didn't know what he was going to say to her; especially after she had accused him of such a horrible thing.

Martha had thought long and hard all through the night. She had been unsure of whether or not she wanted to have him in her life from now on. But she knew that she had come to the right decision.

"Now, are you sure that you don't want me to stay?" Jack asked her.

"Yes, I'm sure," Martha nodded. "I think it should just be me and Alex," she told him.

"Alright, well I'm going to head down to the station and work on a bit of paperwork for a while," Jack started. "How about we meet for lunch down at the park? I'll pop into the diner and organize a basket of food. How does that sound?" he suggested.

Martha smiled. "Sounds great," she agreed.

"Okay, well I'll go now. But if you need me to come home, just call me alright," Jack pulled her in for a hug, and kissed her gently on the lips.

Martha kissed him back for a few moments before pushing him away with a small laugh. "Now go. Get out of here," she pushed him towards the door.

"Okay, okay, I'm going," Jack held his hands up in defense. "I'll see you later," and with that he disappeared out the door.

Martha leant against the door and watched as Jack got into his car and drove away. She then turned around and headed towards Alex's room. She needed to get her ready for her first meeting with her grandfather.

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Martha was walking into the lounge area when Brett arrived; knocking softly on the door.

"Hi," Martha smiled lightly as she invited him in.

"Thank you," Brett gave her a short nod as he brushed passed.

"Please sit down," Martha told Brett as they walked into the kitchen. "Thanks for coming," she then told him as they sat down at the kitchen table.

"No worries. I had time before I had to go back to the city anyway," Brett told her.

"Look, I just want to apologize for what I done. I feel so bad about accusing you of hurting me. I should have known that you would never hurt me like that. I should have believed you when you said you didn't do it," Martha started as she looked down at her hands in shame. "I just; I was in a really rough spot at the time, and I only remembered bits and pieces from that day. And the things that I did remember, it made it look as though you were the one who hurt me. But I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," she apologized.

"It's okay. Really, it's okay. I don't blame you," Brett reassured Martha. "Like you said, you were having a rough time and you were just going with what your head was telling you. You couldn't help the way that things panned out," he said.

"I'm glad you don't hate me," Martha smiled a little.

"You're my daughter. I could never hate you," Brett exclaimed.

Martha started to laugh as she stood up. "And now that makes me feel like even more of a bitch; especially after what I'm about to say," she started to pace a little.

"What are you getting at?" Brett looked at her with concern as he stood up to stand next to her.

Martha looked up at her father; tears starting to sting her eyes. "I can understand that you've changed and that you're not the same person that you used to be. I can see that you really do care for me and that you want what is best for me and Alex," she started to explain to him. "And having said that; I think that it's best that we don't be a part of each others lives. Not right now anyway," Martha added.

Brett looked at Martha; shock evident on his face. "Why? I mean, I don't understand why we can't start over," he frowned.

Martha sighed. "My life is still a little hectic at the moment. There are still so many things that I don't remember. You know; things about Alex and my life with Jack. My memories are slowly starting o come back to me, and I'm sure everything will become clear to me again one day soon," she began. "Right now, Jack and Alex are my top priority, and I need to be with them. I can't be worrying about other things. I really hope that you can understand that," she said.

"Of course I understand," Brett turned away from her.

"But one day, I hope that we can start over," Martha assured him. "And just because we aren't a part of each others lives, doesn't mean you're going to be kept out of the loop. I'll keep you updated on how things are with Alex. I'll send you photo's of her and I'll let you know how she is. It would be unfair if I took away that privilege from you," she said.

Brett started to smile. "That would really mean a lot to me," he told Martha. "And I do look forward to the day when we can start over," he added.

"I really would like for you to meet Alex before you leave," Martha then said.

"Really?" Brett grinned at her with hope in his eyes.

Martha nodded. "She's in her room. I'll go and get her," she exclaimed as she turned and walked from the room.

Martha was really glad that her father understood her reasons for everything. She knew that she had come to the right decision. She needed to do what was best for herself, and right now this was what was best for her. Letting him see Alex was her thank you to him. After all, it was only fair that he get to meet his first grandchild. Martha didn't want to take that away from him.

"Come on, lets go back meet your other poppy," Martha cooed as she lifted Alex from her cot. "He's really looking forward to meeting you," she smiled down at her daughter.

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Martha neatly lay out the blanket across the soft grass. She unclipped Alex from her pram and pulled her out and gently sat her down on the blanket; giving her few toys to play with.

"Let's hope that daddy doesn't take too long; because I am starving," Martha said to Alex as she sat down herself.

Martha rolled over onto her back and shielded her eyes away from the bright sun. The day was beautiful. It was the perfect weather for a picnic, and Martha was excited to be spending time with just Jack and Alex. They'd never really had the chance to have some real quality family time.

"Would you look at that view," a deep voice called out. "The two prettiest girls in the world, and they're both mine," he laughed.

Martha looked up and smiled when she spotted Jack walking across the park towards them. "You don't look too bad yourself," she grinned as Jack kicked off his thongs and sat down to her.

"Hi," Jack winked at her as he leant across and kissed her. "So, how did it go with your dad?" he asked.

"It went well," Martha nodded. "He understood my reasons for everything and he accepted my wishes. He was very happy when I told him that I would keep him updated about Alex," she explained to Jack.

"Well, I'm glad everything went well for you," Jack said.

"Me too," Martha began. "But, lets' put that behind us for now. Let's eat, coz I'm famished," she laughed as she reached out for the basket.

"Not so fast," Jack snatched the basket away from her grasp. "We have some unfinished business to attend to first," he informed her.

"What are you talking about?" Martha was confused. "If it's something dirty, don't you think that it would be best if we waited until were inside and away from prying eyes?" she wiggled her eyebrows at him.

Jack started to laugh at her. "Get your mind out of the gutter Mrs. Holden," he taunted a little. "For your information, I'm actually talking about this," he reached into his pocket and then produced Martha's wedding ring.

"I still haven't put it back on," Martha started. "We kind of got caught in the moment the other night and forgot about it," she pointed out as she reached to take it from his hand.

Jack pulled his hand away before Martha even had the chance to touch it. "Allow me," he exclaimed.

Martha giggled a little before giving her hand to Jack. He took it gently in his hands and softly caressed her fingers. "Don't you ever dare take this off again," Jack smiled at her.

"I don't plan on it," Martha whispered to him as he slipped the ring onto her finger.

Martha touched Jack's face and moved into kiss him, but was interrupted by a baby giggle. Martha and Jack quickly pulled away and looked across at the daughter.

"Come here you," Jack laughed as he pulled Alex into his arms and brought her in between himself and Martha. "Don't worry, we haven't forgotten about you," he kissed her soft cheek.

Martha loved the tenderness Jack displayed when he was with his daughter. It was one of the most beautiful things she had ever seen. And she loved him so much for it.

"I'm so lucky to have you," Martha said to Jack.

Jack averted his eyes away from Alex and looked back up at Martha. "Pretty lucky," he agreed with her as he smirked.

"Very lucky," Martha nodded as she cupped his face and brought him in for a kiss.

"Love you," Jack told her as their lips met.

"Me too," Martha deepened the kiss.

Even though she still had a long way to go until she remembered all the details from her missing years, Martha was happy. She had a husband who loved her dearly, and the most beautiful baby daughter. They were what mattered. And as long as she had them; she'd be fine.

Martha let out a small sigh as she pulled away from Jack's kiss. She looked deeply into his eyes and smiled. "Can we eat now?" she laughed.

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**Well Well Well, it's over. It's finally over. I really hope you enjoyed my story, and hope you tune into my next one 'Return to Innocence'.**

**I'd really like to thank all those that read and reviewed my fic. And a big thank you to those who encouraged me to continue with my stories. It's great to know that there are people out there who enjoy them and really look forward to my next updates.**

**So, once again; thank you.**


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